# NTSB ANC00LA060: Piper PA-12, N49EB, Wasilla, AK, May 19, 2000 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 19, 2000, 12:00 local (20:00 UTC) - Place: Wasilla, AK - Location: 61.6169° N, 149.3215° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at ANDERSON LAKE (0AK1), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=61.6169&lon=-149.3215&mi=10 - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 2 minor, 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report May 30, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 49253 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC00LA060 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/49253/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC00LA060 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions during takeoff. A factor in the accident was a sudden wind shift. ## Analysis The pilot, holder of a student pilot certificate, was departing from a private airstrip with two passengers. A witness reported the airplane encountered a wind shear at tree top level, and crashed on the runway. An Alaska State Trooper responded to the accident scene and spoke with the pilot. The pilot told the trooper that he was planning to go hunting. The pilot said that he had accrued about 300 hours, and he also told the trooper that the airplane's annual inspection was expired. An FAA inspector responded to the accident scene. When he arrived, the pilot, with others assisting, were disassembling the airplane. The inspector reported that the damage to the airplane consisted of wrinkling of both sides of the fuselage. In addition, the airplane had damage to the right wing lift strut, the main landing gear was folded upward under the airplane, and the propeller was bent. The inspector said that the pilot refused to talk with him about the accident. The NTSB IIC received a telephone call from the pilot later the day of the accident. When asked about the details of the accident, the pilot refused to provide his name or any additional information. The NTSB Northwest Field Office received an NTSB Pilot/Operator report from the pilot's address of record. The form was unsigned, and indicated that after takeoff, the airplane lost lift when the wind direction changed at tree-top level. The takeoff was then aborted. FAA records indicate the pilot received a private pilot certificate six days after the accident. ## Factual narrative On May 19, 2000, about 1200 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire equipped Piper PA-12 airplane, N49EB, sustained substantial damage during takeoff from the Anderson Lake Airstrip, a private airstrip about 4 miles north-northeast of Wasilla, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot. The pilot, holder of a student pilot certificate, and one passenger, received minor injuries. The second passenger was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The president of the home owners association, where the airstrip is located, notified the Alaska State Trooper's office of the accident. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on May 19, the association's president stated that he did not see the accident. However, he was told by the pilot that during takeoff toward the east (runway 08), the accident airplane encountered a wind shear at tree top level, and crashed on the runway. An Alaska State Trooper responded to the accident scene. After verifying that there were no serious injuries, he obtained the names of the occupants of the airplane. During a telephone conversation with the NTSB IIC, the trooper reported that the pilot said he was planning to fly to Cordova, Alaska, to go hunting. The trooper said the pilot told him that the airplane's annual inspection was expired. When the trooper asked about his flight experience, the pilot reported he had accrued about 300 hours. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, Anchorage Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), responded to the accident scene. When he arrived, the pilot, with others assisting, were disassembling the airplane. The inspector reported that the damage to the airplane consisted of wrinkling of both sides of the fuselage. In addition, the airplane had damage to the right wing lift strut, the main landing gear was folded upward under the airplane, and the propeller was bent. The inspector said that the pilot refused to talk with him about the accident. The NTSB IIC received a telephone call from the pilot on May 19. When asked about the details of the accident, the pilot refused to provide his name or any additional information. The NTSB Northwest Field Office sent a Pilot/Operator report (NTSB form 6120.1/2) to the pilot's address of record in Cordova. The form was returned unsigned, and noted the date of the accident was April 19, 2000. It contained an indication that the pilot held a private pilot certificate, and that he had accrued 81.3 hours. A review of FAA airmen records maintained at the FAA's Airmen Certification Branch, Oklahoma City, revealed the pilot was issued a private pilot certificate on May 25, 2000, six days after the accident. A FAA airworthiness inspector located the airplane wreckage and maintenance records in Eagle River, Alaska, on July 17, 2000. The maintenance records indicated the last annual inspection on the airframe and engine was April 3, 1997. The closest official weather observation station is Wasilla, Alaska, which is located 4 nautical miles southwest of the accident site. On May 19, 2000, at 1155, an automated weather observation system (AWOS) was reporting in part: Wind, 240 degrees (true) at 4 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; clouds and sky condition, 2,900 feet broken, 4,200 feet overcast; temperature, 46 degrees F; dew point, 34 degrees F; altimeter, 29.79 inHg. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N49EB](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N49EB-2015-05-04), registration cancelled 2015-05-04, S/N 12-2756, built 1947 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-12 - Registry model: [Piper PA-12](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-12) (registry code 7101202) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-290 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-290-series) (registry code 41506, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 12-2756 - Engines: Lycoming O-320 150 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Benjamin P. Hancock - Registered owner: Larry Hancock - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, April 3, 1997 - Departed: 0AK1 - Destination: PACV, CORDOVA, AK - Airport: 0AK1, Anderson Lake Strip, runway 8, 2,200 × 60 ft, gravel ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 20; student; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: front; flight hours: 81 total, 31 in this make and model, 57 as pilot in command ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 216° at 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 2,900 ft broken - Temperature: 46 °F, dew point 34 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: PAW, 4 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20000519042219A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000519042219A), May 19, 2000: Piper PA12, Wasilla, AK, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot was attempting takeoff and aborted which was followed by the crash. The iic has been diligently trying to contact the pilot. Parties involved have… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- 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.