- Date
- February 5, 2011, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Sebago Lake, ME
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3806MPiper PA-12
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 20, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110205003129A
- Case key
- 78283
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’s initiation of a right turn with insufficient altitude remaining during an aborted landing resulting in a collision with the landing surface.
Findings · 2
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
According to the pilot, he was attempting to land on a frozen lake, about 200 yards off shore. He encountered severe snow conditions and aborted the landing. He banked the airplane, and the right wing contacted ice and snow on the lake surface. The right wing separated and the airplane crashed on the lake. The pilot reported that the airplane had just been fueled and was operating normally at the time of the accident.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, he was attempting to land on a frozen lake, about 200 yards off shore. He encountered severe snow conditions and aborted the landing. He banked the airplane, and the right wing contacted ice and snow of the lake surface. The right wing separated and the airplane crashed on the lake. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The pilot reported that the airplane had just been fueled and was operating normally at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3806M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-2563
- Airframe hours
- 4,322
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Randall, Richard Carl
- Registered owner
- Air Ads Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 4, 2011
- Departed
- 0B1 · Bethel, ME
- Destination
- 0B1 · Bethel, ME
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
- 71
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 3,100 total · 100 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.80 inHg
- Observed at
- PWM, 20 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 4, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 143 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.