Piper PA-12 accident near Brownsboro, AL
On August 5, 2008, a Piper PA-12 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Brownsboro, AL. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 5, 2008
- Place
- Brownsboro, AL
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.750°N, 86.468°W
- NTSB ID
- 20080812X01222
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 5, 2008, about 1440 central daylight time, a Piper PA-12, N7820H, was substantially damaged when it impacted a soybean field after departing from Moontown Airport (3M5), Brownsboro, Alabama. The certificated private pilot and his passenger were killed. Visual meteorological conditions were reported, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot and passenger were planning to fly over the passenger’s corn field to take photos of a corn maze. According to local police officials, the airplane had just departed runway 27, a 2,180-foot-long by 160-foot-wide turf runway, climbed to approximately 50 feet above ground level, before impacting the ground in a nearby field. A witness, who was in a house near the accident scene, stated that she saw the airplane takeoff and climb to a point "about tree top high." It "then went down behind the trees," and that was followed by the "sound of a crash." The witness then observed a plume of smoke rising from behind the trees. Another witness reported that he did not see the airplane in flight, but he heard the engine "falter" and subsequently heard an explosion. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single- and multi-engine land ratings, a mechanic certificate with airframe and powerplant ratings, and an inspection authorization. His most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) third-class medical certificate was issued March 28, 2008 and at that time
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to ensure the fuel valve was on prior taxi and takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed following loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
More accidents in AL
- Beech C99, Jul 10, 1991
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Browse: Alabama · 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.
