# NTSB investigations: Piper PA-12: Loss of control in flight

NTSB aviation accident and incident investigations since 1962: the probable cause, findings, aircraft, crew, weather and docket of each, linked to the FAA registry and the FAA’s own reports.

## Latest cases

- [NTSB ANC25LA109](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC25LA109.md): Piper PA-12 · Kotlik, AK · Accident · Minor injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Sep 16, 2025 · N3816M · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during a go-around in variable wind conditions.
- [NTSB ANC22FA066](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC22FA066.md): Piper PA-12 · Arctic Village, AK · Accident · 1 fatal · Class 3 · Field · Final report · Aug 11, 2022 · N3937M · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s decision to depart in turbulent and gusting wind conditions, which resulted in a loss of control and impact with terrain.
- [NTSB ERA22FA315](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA22FA315.md): Piper PA12 · Middle Township, NJ · Accident · 1 fatal · Class 3 · Field · Final report · Jul 16, 2022 · N3703M · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during a missed banner pickup, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and loss of control at an altitude too low to recover.
- [NTSB CEN22FA211](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN22FA211.md): Piper PA-12 · Seagraves, TX · Accident · 1 fatal · Class 3 · Field · Final report · May 24, 2022 · N78466 · Destroyed
  > The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and loss of control.
- [NTSB ANC21LA077](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC21LA077.md): Piper PA-12 · Nikolai, AK · Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Aug 28, 2021 · N2579M · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s loss of control on go-around in gusting crosswind conditions. Contributing to accident was the pilot’s decision to attempt to land at a short off-airport landing site with a malfunctioning airspeed indicator.
- [NTSB CEN18LA039](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN18LA039.md): Piper PA 12 · Dickinson, ND · Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Nov 22, 2017 · N4040M · Substantial damage
  > The 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.
- [NTSB ANC17LA033](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC17LA033.md): Piper PA 12 · Skwentna, AK · Accident · No injuries · Class 2 · Limited · Final report · Jun 17, 2017 · N4018H · Destroyed
  > The pilot's failure to properly secure the external load, which resulted in the load shifting during flight, interference with the water rudder cable, and a subsequent loss of control
- [NTSB GAA16CA232](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA16CA232.md): Piper PA 12 · Simsbury, CT · Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report · May 11, 2016 · N3506M · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point and the airplane's subsequent impact with a fence during an attempted aborted landing.
- [NTSB GAA16CA008](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA16CA008.md): Piper PA · Glennallen, AK · Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report · Oct 7, 2015 · N7879H · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from trees during the approach to land, resulting in a collision with trees.
- [NTSB ANC14CA072](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC14CA072.md): Piper PA 12 · Talkeetna, AK · Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report · Sep 1, 2014 · N2507M · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, resulting in a runway excursion and collision with trees.
- [NTSB CEN12FA594](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN12FA594.md): Piper PA-12 · Rye, CO · Accident · 2 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Aug 31, 2012 · N3031M · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s selection of a flightpath toward rising terrain that exceeded the climb capability of the airplane.
- [NTSB ANC11CA094](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC11CA094.md): Piper PA-12 · North Pole, AK · Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report · Sep 5, 2011 · N78463 · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during takeoff, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and collision with the water.
- [NTSB ANC11FA065](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC11FA065.md): Piper PA-12 · Delta, AK · Accident · 1 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Jul 17, 2011 · N92770 · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's decision to make a low-altitude turn back to the airport following a loss of engine power, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control. Contributing to the severity of the pilot's injuries was the separation of the pilot's seat…
- [NTSB WPR10FA009](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR10FA009.md): Piper PA-12 · Burlington, WA · Accident · 1 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Oct 8, 2009 · N2087C · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's in-flight loss of control due to his failure to correctly connect the elevator control cables during the restoration/rebuild of the airplane. Contributing to this accident was the pilot's decision to perform a high-speed taxi test prior to having…
- [NTSB CEN09LA597](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN09LA597.md): Piper PA-12 · Columbia, MO · Accident · 1 fatal · Limited investigation · Final report · Sep 22, 2009 · N3234M · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which included low ceilings and fog, and his failure to maintain control of the airplane. Contributing to the accident was the partial loss of engine power as a result of water…

## The whole list in SQL

Runs in DuckDB 1.2 or later on the release's Parquet files over HTTPS:

```sql
SELECT c."ntsbNumber", c."eventDate", c."eventType", c."eventCity", c."eventStateOrRegion", a.n_number, a."aircraftMake", a."aircraftModel", c."highestInjuryLevel", c."totalFatal", c."completionStatus", c.report_url
FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_case_detail.parquet' c LEFT JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' a ON a.case_mkey = c."mKey" AND a.position = 1
WHERE c."mKey" IN (SELECT x.case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' x WHERE x.aircraft_model_code IN ('7101202')
    AND EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_events.parquet' s WHERE s.case_mkey = x.case_mkey AND s.aircrafts_position = x.position AND s."tier2Number" = '240' AND s.case_mkey IN (SELECT case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_events.parquet' WHERE "isDefiningEvent")))
ORDER BY c."eventDate" DESC, c."ntsbNumber" DESC
```

This list as a web page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence?model=7101202

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OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.
