Piper PA 12 accident near Anchorage, AK
On July 2, 2014, a Piper PA 12 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Anchorage, AK. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 2, 2014
- Place
- Anchorage, AK
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 12 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 61.214°N, 149.850°W
- NTSB ID
- 20140702X22950
Official records · ANC14FA050
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 2, 2014, at 0820 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-12 airplane, N3512M, climbed steeply then descended vertically and collided with the ground shortly after takeoff from Merrill Field Airport, Anchorage, Alaska. The private pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight was operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. According to air traffic control (ATC) audio information, the pilot received a takeoff clearance for runway 25 that contained departure and altitude instructions. The pilot acknowledge the clearance, and no further radio communication was identified from the pilot. A pilot who was standing on the ramp on the south side of runway 25 saw the airplane climb after takeoff. He said that, once the airplane became airborne, its climb kept getting steeper, and the airplane did not level off like he expected it would. He said that the airplane "wasn't pitching quickly or violently but slowly" and "as if the pilot had no ability to stop it." He said that the airplane then pitched down, and he heard the engine power reduce as if the pilot had pulled it to idle, and the airplane descended vertically to the ground. A second witness who was also on the south side of runway 25 described that the "airplane's angle of attack was so steep" that he knew "something was not right." He said that the airplane climbed straight up then "pivoted" to a nos
Probable cause
The incorrect (reverse) rigging of the elevator control cables, and the pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection, which failed to detect the misrigging.
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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.
