- Date
- July 24, 1992, 20:45 local (Jul 25, 1992, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Southport, NC
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7712HPiper PA-12
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920724027519A
- Case key
- 8637
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 pilot to maintain clearance from obstacles. A factor was the dusk lighting condition.
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
The pilot & passenger stated that they had been hired to overfly a wedding party to drop confetti & notes. The drop site was abut 75 feet to one side of the extended centerline of the runway, & about 1/4 mile from the approach threshold. After overflying the site, at dusk, & dropping the confetti, the airplane collided with a tree.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7712H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-604
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Pritchard, Thomas A., Jr.
- Registered owner
- Pritchard, Thomas A., Sr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- SUT
- Airport
- SUT · Brunswick County, runway 23, 4,000 × 75 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
- 30
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 800 total · 20 in this make and model · 760 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ILM, 25 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.
Other investigations on N7712H · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.