Piper PA 12 accident near Sanford, FL
On April 8, 2017, a Piper PA 12 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Sanford, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- April 8, 2017
- Place
- Sanford, FL
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 12 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 28.770°N, 81.219°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170408X41518
Official records · ERA17FA148
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn April 8, 2017, about 1256 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-12, N3280M, was destroyed by impact and postcrash fire after takeoff from Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB), Orlando, Florida. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight. According to air traffic control audio information, the pilot received a takeoff clearance for runway 27L for closed traffic, which the pilot acknowledged. There were no further communications with the pilot. Multiple witnesses stated that the airplane accelerated normally, lifted off, and immediately pitched up to a near vertical attitude. One witness stated, "it was like someone took the control yoke full aft." The witnesses reported that the airplane reached an altitude of about 100 ft, stalled, rolled to the right, and descended in a nose-down attitude to impact on the right side of runway 27L. A postimpact fire ensued that was extinguished by aircraft rescue and firefighting personnel on the airport. A witness recorded the flight on his mobile telephone. The video showed the airplane's takeoff roll, rotation, and initial climb and ended as the airplane pitched up to a nose-high attitude. A mechanic who worked on the airplane with the pilot reported that the accident flight was the first flight following a 2-year restoration that included replacement of the wing and fuselage fabric,
Probable cause
The incorrect rigging of the elevator control cables, which resulted in a reversal of elevator control inputs applied by the pilot during the takeoff, an excessive nose-high pitch, and subsequent aerodynamic stall after takeoff. Also causal was the inadequate postmaintenance inspection and the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and before takeoff check, which failed to detect the misrigging.
More accidents in FL
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Browse: Florida · 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.
