Piper PA-12 accident near Kenai, AK
On February 10, 1994, a Piper PA-12 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Kenai, AK. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- February 10, 1994
- Place
- Kenai, AK
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 60.660°N, 150.900°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001206X00688
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 10, 1994, at approximately 1210 Alaska standard time, a ski equipped Piper PA-12 airplane, N7523H, owned and operated by the pilot-in-command, crashed on the open tundra approximately 24 nautical miles west of Kenai, Alaska, near the Big River Lake. The student pilot, the sole occupant on board, sustained fatal injuries and the airplane was destroyed by the impact with the terrain and a post-crash fire. The personal flight, conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, last departed Sport Lake located near Soldotna, Alaska at about 1115 for the purpose of game spotting. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and there was no flight plan in effect. On the afternoon of February 10, 1994, the NTSB investigator-in-charge conducted a telephone interview with Mr. Thomas C. Shanahan of 44185 Lewis Avenue, Soldotna, Alaska 99669. Mr. Shanahan reported he sold N7523H to Mr. Barnica in the fall of 1993 and that they were close friends. They each fueled their respective aircraft and departed Soldotna at about 1115 for the purpose of flying across the inlet to goof off and hunt for ptarmagan. Mr. Shanahan did not know if Mr. Barnica fueled the auxiliary tanks of N7523H. It was a good day to fly. The skies were clear and the winds calm. They two of them had been flying over the area in which the accident occurred for about 10-15 minutes when Mr. Barnica called to him on the radio using words to the effect, "see where I am back here?" Mr. Shanahan responded no and turned his airplane around and observed Mr. Barnica circling about 150 feet above the ground. He observed
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED WHILE MANEUVERING AT LOW ALTITUDE. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE STUDENT PILOT'S INADEQUATE TRAINING.
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Browse: Alaska · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
