- Date
- July 20, 2012, 09:15 local (14:15 UTC)
- Place
- Neilsville, WI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4844MPiper PA-11
- Defining event
- Landing-aborted after touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 26, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120720014539A
- Case key
- 84412
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 pilot did not maintain control of the airplane during an attempted aborted landing, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
After touching down, the pilot noticed that the airplane was not aligned with the runway and decided to abort the landing. The airplane turned left of the runway toward a cornfield, and the pilot applied power and pulled up. The airplane stalled and collided with the cornfield. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, an engine mount, the wing struts, and the left wing spar. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
During an aborted landing, the airplane stalled and collided with a cornfield to the left of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, an engine mount, the wing struts, and the left wing spar. The pilot reported there were no mechanical deficiencies prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4844M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-11
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11-361
- Airframe hours
- 3,785
- Engine
- Cont Motor C90 SERIES, 95 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Steven Humphrey
- Registered owner
- Gaier Jeffrey H
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 2011
- Departed
- MFI · Marshfield, WI
- Destination
- VIQ · Neilsville, WI
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- VIQ · Neillsville, runway 20
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
- 62
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 4, 2012
- Flight hours
- 746 total · 11 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 75 °F
- Observed at
- MFI, 15 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 20, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 913 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.