20220621010829I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-12 · Paxson, AK · June 21, 2022

Date: June 21, 2022 · 08:30 local
Place: Paxson, AK
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Departure Roll
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N3453M
Reported as: Piper PA-12
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 7,780 total

N3453MRegistered now · Piper PA-12S/N 12-2340 · Built 1947 Airframe modelPiper PA-12 Engine 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.

The pilot initiated taxi for takeoff in a Piper PA-12 after conducting a preflight and computer weather briefing. Taxi and takeoff were initiated on a road with flaggers for road traffic. The road is used in lieu of the runway due to the runway being over grown with brush. No anomolies were noted on the preflight procedure or taxi prior to takeoff. During the takeoff roll the tail wheel attach bolt failed causing the aircraft to swerve off the road and into the brush adjacent to it, causing minor damage to the aircraft. The pilot who was the only occupant evacuated the aircraft without injuries.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT INITIATED TAXI FOR TAKEOFF IN A PIPER PA-12 AFTER CONDUCTING A PREFLIGHT AND COMPUTER WEATHER BRIEFING. TAXI AND TAKEOFF WERE INITIATED ON A ROAD WITH FLAGGERS FOR ROAD TRAFFIC. THE ROAD IS USED IN LIEU OF THE RUNWAY DUE TO THE RUNWAY BEING OVER GROWN WITH BRUSH. NO ANOMOLIES WERE NOTED ON THE PREFLIGHT PROCEDURE OR TAXI PRIOR TO TAKEOFF. DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL THE TAIL WHEEL ATTACH BOLT FAILED CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO SWERVE OFF THE ROAD AND INTO THE BRUSH ADJACENT TO IT, CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT WHO WAS THE ONLY OCCUPANT EVACUATED THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT INJURIES.