- Date
- July 6, 1991, 14:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Merrill Pass, AK
- Injuries
- 3 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N121EFPiper PA-12
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 24, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19910706026159A
- Case key
- 5573
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
That the pilot failed to maintain an airspeed above stall speed. Contributing to the accident was the turbulence.
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.
Analysis
After a third low approach over an intended landing area on a gravel bar, the pilot encountered turbulence during the climb. He turned downwind, at which time the airplane stalled and spun into the trees.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N121EF
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-2447
- Airframe hours
- 2,700
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Paul F. Erickson
- Registered owner
- Patricia A. Mcguire
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 12, 1990 · 80 hours before
- Departed
- LHD · Anchorage, AK
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
- 32
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,096 total · 750 in this make and model · 40 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.