- Date
- March 5, 1990, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Nome, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N7853HPiper PA-12
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Case key
- 5340
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The failure of the left gear axle due to corrosion and fatigue.
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.
Airframe/component/system failure/malfunction
Landing gear,ski assembly - corrodedCause
Landing gear,axle - fatigueCause
Loss of control - on ground/water
Directional control - not possible
Ground loop/swerve - uncontrolled
Analysis
During the takeoff run, the left main ski axle failed & the acft ground looped to the left & was damaged. An exam revealed the axle had failed from fatigue in an area of corrosion.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7853H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12754
- Airframe hours
- 3,384
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Part 91
- Operator
- Steven Machide, doing business as Alaska Dept. Fish And Game
- Registered owner
- Alaska Dept. Fish & Game
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 30, 1989 · 59 hours before
- Airport
- OME · Nome, runway 2, 5,776 × 150 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 36
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 773 total · 340 in this make and model · 689 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 2 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 14 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OME, 1 nm away
Other investigations on N7853H · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.