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20171122019699A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Piper PA-12 · Dickinson, ND · November 22, 2017

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
November 22, 2017 · 13:00 local
Place
Dickinson, ND
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N4040M
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN18LA039
Reported as
Piper PA-12
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-320
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
2
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
185 total78 in this make and model35 in the last 90 days
N4040MRegistration cancelled Jan 31, 2020 · Piper PA-12S/N 12-2923 · Built 1947Airframe modelPiper PA-12Engine modelLycoming 0-235 series4 cycle

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Airmen executed a short field takeoff from an off airport location. The location was an industrial equipment yard. The takeoff area was a packed gravel surface with bumps and large ruts and has a rise in incline of about 12 ft from the start of takeoff area to end of takeoff area. The takeoff area was surrounded by semis, semi trailers, and conex containers and on the day of accident, the wind velocity was gusting into the 30'S. The takeoff area available measured approx. 750 ft. according to witness, the pilot started the takeoff roll at a point that allotted 650 ft of takeoff distance available. The pilot began the takeoff by holding breaks, put in 2 notches of flaps, applied full power, released the breaks and began the takeoff roll. At approximately 30KTS, the tail lifted off and the pilot applied full flaps to try jump the tundra tires off the ground. As the airplane lifted off, he began decreasing the flaps, when a possible gust of wind lifted the left wing and dipped the right wing striking the ground. The passenger in the back seat was videoing the takeoff and when the wing struck, the passenger moved the camera which reveals the aircrafts location along the takeoff area. While pilot was inputting full left aileron and rudder to correct for the wing dipping, the airplane was approaching the end of takeoff area. The pilot said he confirmed full power was set. Passenger states it appeared as though the pilot started to turn to the right toward what appeared to be a gap in the equipment that was parked at the end of takeoff area. At that time, the airplane made a sharp right turn and the wing stood perpendicular to the ground. The airplane stalled and descended vertically and crashed and ended up inverted on top of 3 flat-bed trailers. The passenger was able to unbuckle himself, kick the door out, and crawl out. Passenger tried to assist the pilot by unbuckling his seatbelt. The pilot was unable to get out because his leg was lodged in the wreckage so he remained hanging upside down until rescuers arrived. The passenger had minor injuries and the pilot suffered a broken leg/ankle and required at least 2 surgeries. Airplane was destroyed.

As the FAA filed it

AIRMEN EXECUTED A SHORT FIELD TAKEOFF FROM AN OFF AIRPORT LOCATION. THE LOCATION WAS AN INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT YARD. THE TAKEOFF AREA WAS A PACKED GRAVEL SURFACE WITH BUMPS AND LARGE RUTS AND HAS A RISE IN INCLINE OF ABOUT 12 FT FROM THE START OF TAKEOFF AREA TO END OF TAKEOFF AREA. THE TAKEOFF AREA WAS SURROUNDED BY SEMIS, SEMI TRAILERS, AND CONEX CONTAINERS AND ON THE DAY OF ACCIDENT, THE WIND VELOCITY WAS GUSTING INTO THE 30'S. THE TAKEOFF AREA AVAILABLE MEASURED APPROX. 750 FT. ACCORDING TO WITNESS, THE PILOT STARTED THE TAKEOFF ROLL AT A POINT THAT ALLOTTED 650 FT OF TAKEOFF DISTANCE AVAILABLE. THE PILOT BEGAN THE TAKEOFF BY HOLDING BREAKS, PUT IN 2 NOTCHES OF FLAPS, APPLIED FULL POWER, RELEASED THE BREAKS AND BEGAN THE TAKEOFF ROLL. AT APPROXIMATELY 30KTS, THE TAIL LIFTED OFF AND THE PILOT APPLIED FULL FLAPS TO TRY JUMP THE TUNDRA TIRES OFF THE GROUND. AS THE AIRPLANE LIFTED OFF, HE BEGAN DECREASING THE FLAPS, WHEN A POSSIBLE GUST OF WIND LIFTED THE LEFT WING AND DIPPED THE RIGHT WING STRIKING THE GROUND. THE PASSENGER IN THE BACK SEAT WAS VIDEOING THE TAKEOFF AND WHEN THE WING STRUCK, THE PASSENGER MOVED THE CAMERA WHICH REVEALS THE AIRCRAFTS LOCATION ALONG THE TAKEOFF AREA. WHILE PILOT WAS INPUTTING FULL LEFT AILERON AND RUDDER TO CORRECT FOR THE WING DIPPING, THE AIRPLANE WAS APPROACHING THE END OF TAKEOFF AREA. THE PILOT SAID HE CONFIRMED FULL POWER WAS SET. PASSENGER STATES IT APPEARED AS THOUGH THE PILOT STARTED TO TURN TO THE RIGHT TOWARD WHAT APPEARED TO BE A GAP IN THE EQUIPMENT THAT WAS PARKED AT THE END OF TAKEOFF AREA. AT THAT TIME, THE AIRPLANE MADE A SHARP RIGHT TURN AND THE WING STOOD PERPENDICULAR TO THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE STALLED AND DESCENDED VERTICALLY AND CRASHED AND ENDED UP INVERTED ON TOP OF 3 FLAT-BED TRAILERS. THE PASSENGER WAS ABLE TO UNBUCKLE HIMSELF, KICK THE DOOR OUT, AND CRAWL OUT. PASSENGER TRIED TO ASSIST THE PILOT BY UNBUCKLING HIS SEATBELT. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO GET OUT BECAUSE HIS LEG WAS LODGED IN THE WRECKAGE SO HE REMAINED HANGING UPSIDE DOWN UNTIL RESCUERS ARRIVED. THE PASSENGER HAD MINOR INJURIES AND THE PILOT SUFFERED A BROKEN LEG/ANKLE AND REQUIRED AT LEAST 2 SURGERIES. AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CEN18LA039Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportDickinson, NDThe pilot’s failure to attain adequate airspeed during the short field takeoff, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall.Nov 22, 2017 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N4040M · 2

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 19990307014119ARoll-Out (Fixed Wing) · Big Lake, AK(.19) On March 7, 1999, about 1540 Alaska standard time, a wheel equipped, Piper PA-12, N4040M, sustained substantial damage while landing on the frozen surface of flathorn lake, approximately 20 miles southwest of Big Lake, Alaska. The airline transport…Mar 7, 1999 · Substantial damageAccident 19770916031339AFinal Approach · Anchorage, AKLanding on sandbar in susitna river.Sep 16, 1977 · Substantial damage