20230115000589A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-12 · Anchorage, AK · January 15, 2023

Date
January 15, 2023 · 11:00 local
Place
Anchorage, AK
Airport
Campbell Lake Seaplane Base
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N3904M
Reported as
Piper PA-12
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-235 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
265 total175 in this make and model9 in the last 90 days

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.

On 1/16/2023 on return from a personal flight the accident pilot attempted a landing on a snow covered runway. Pilot stated he was unaware of the depth of the snow. On landing the aircraft encountered deep snow which caused the main wheels to sink. The aircraft shifted forward as the tires went deeper into the snow. The forward inertia caused the aircraft to flip inverted before coming to a stop. No injuries.

As the FAA filed it

ON 1/16/2023 ON RETURN FROM A PERSONAL FLIGHT THE ACCIDENT PILOT ATTEMPTED A LANDING ON A SNOW COVERED RUNWAY. PILOT STATED HE WAS UNAWARE OF THE DEPTH OF THE SNOW. ON LANDING THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED DEEP SNOW WHICH CAUSED THE MAIN WHEELS TO SINK. THE AIRCRAFT SHIFTED FORWARD AS THE TIRES WENT DEEPER INTO THE SNOW. THE FORWARD INERTIA CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO FLIP INVERTED BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. NO INJURIES.