- Date
- July 4, 1994, 09:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Watson, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2986MPiper PA-12
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 24, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940704017749A
- Case key
- 19106
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
Was the excessive airspeed during approach and the pilot's failure to execute a missed approach.
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 attempted to execute a short field approach to a 900 foot long sandy, grass road. The pilot was unable to slow down the airplane on final approach. The pilot did not abort the approach and overran the threshold at the end of the road. The airplane nosed over after colliding with a dirt embankment coming to rest inverted.
Factual narrative
On July 4, 1994, at 0930 central daylight time, a Piper PA-12, N2986M, was substantially damaged during landing near Watson, Arkansas. The private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight.
According to the pilot, a short field approach was executed to a 900 foot "sandy grass private road strip" with tall trees at the departure end of the strip. The pilot further stated that the approach speed appeared to be faster than normal and he was unable to slow down the airplane while on final approach.
The pilot added that he was not able to abort the landing, so he attempted to use maximum braking to avoid over running the end of the landing strip. The airplane overran the end of the strip and colliding with a dirt embankment. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2986M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-1371
- Airframe hours
- 2,238
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-C, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Smith, James K.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 12, 1994 · 100 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Dumas, AR
- Destination
- NONE
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
- 25
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 220 total · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 79 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PBF, 29 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.