- Date
- April 27, 1997, 10:10 local (14:10 UTC)
- Place
- Key Largo, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4141MPiper PA-12
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970427011099A
- Case key
- 38272
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 failure to maintain directional control during a crosswind landing, which resulted in an inadvertent ground swerve and collision with bushes and terrain.
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 stated he was landing with a crosswind, and the airplane veered to the right on landing rollout and collided with bushes and trees. Review of the weather at the time of the accident revealed no recorded turbulence, downdrafts, gusts, or windshear.
Factual narrative
On April 27, 1997, about 1010 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-12, N4141M, registered to a private owner, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed during landing at Ocean Reef Club, a private airport, Key Largo, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged. The private pilot and pilot-rated passenger reported no injuries. The flight originated from Key Largo, Florida, about 10 minutes before the accident.
The pilot stated the airplane ballooned during the flare (round out), he recovered with power and the airplane touched down on the runway. The airplane turned sharply to the right, the left wing came up, the airplane continued to turn to the right, and collided with bushes and palm trees. The pilot-rated passenger confirmed the pilot's statements. Review of the weather at the time of the accident revealed no record of turbulence, downdrafts, gusts, or windshear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4141M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Engine
- Lycoming, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John D. Moyer
- Registered owner
- Fred W. Messina
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- X09
- Airport
- X09 · Ocean Reef Club, runway 22, 5,000 × 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
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 900 total · 125 in this make and model · 900 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HST, 22 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.