- Date
- December 1, 1984, 14:25 local (18:25 UTC)
- Place
- Sterling, AK
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N3908MPiper PA-12
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Case key
- 4390
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Loss of control - in flight
Pull-up - excessiveCause
Airspeed(vs) - not maintainedCause
Stall - inadvertentCause
In flight collision with terrain/water
Analysis
A witness observed the acft after a touch and go landing enter a steep climb to aprx 150 ft above the 30 ft trees. The left wing and the nose dropped and the acft rotated about the longitudinal axis until ground impact. No mechanical malfunctions were discovered during the investigation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3908M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-2807
- Airframe hours
- 2,047
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-D, 135 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ernie L. Belnap
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 27, 1983 · 106 hours before
- Departed
- Sterling, AK
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 211 total · 63 in this make and model · 102 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 19 °F