- Date
- October 15, 1989, 10:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Palmyra, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N765WMPiper PA-12
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 23, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891015040339A
- Case key
- 36570
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 failed to maintain airspeed during a tight closed pattern turn to final. Contributing factor(s) was: the pilot initiating flight into known adverse weather conditions, which included fog and reduced visibility.
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 reported that immediately after takeoff the weather conditions worsened so he stayed in a closed pattern to return and land. The airplane was observed at 200 to 300 ft AGL on downwind, then a very tight turn at high bank on to final, then a stall. The airport manager reported the visibility as 2,000 ft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N765WM
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-3206
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- National Aerial Advertising
- Destination
- 9G0 · Buffalo, NY
- Airport
- 6G3 · Palmyra, runway 35, 3,000 × 120 ft, grass/turf
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
- 32
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 868 total · 200 in this make and model · 815 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.