Piper PA-12 N4480M
17 April 2002 · Clifford, Pennsylvania, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 17 April 2002 at about 12:55 local time, a Piper PA-12 registered N4480M was involved in an accident near Clifford, Pennsylvania, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 12:55
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Clifford, Pennsylvania, United States
- Nearest airport
- Ashlawn (3PN1)
- Coordinates
- 41.6167, -75.5833
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12
- Registration
- N4480M
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Factoryville → Clifford
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC02LA084
People
2 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain a proper visual lookout for trees. A factor was sunglare.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was accustomed to landing at the airport, which had an approach path cut into a stand of trees that had not yet developed spring foliage. The airplane struck a tree on the left side of the approach path, then impacted a marsh. The sun was about 35 degrees to the left of the approach path, and 28 degrees above the horizon. There was no evidence of a mechanical malfunction.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-12 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Mar 2002 | Piper PA-12 | Terrell, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Jun 2002 | Piper PA-12 | Kenai, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 May 2002 | Piper PA-12 | Soldotna, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Dec 2002 | Piper PA-12 | Fallon, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Sep 2002 | Piper PA-12 | Chickaloon, Alaska, United States | Grasshopper Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 4 Sep 2001 | Piper PA-12 | Tok, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Sep 2002 | Bellanca 7KCAB | Erwinna, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 May 2002 | Burkhart Grob G103 | Fairfield, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Aug 2002 | Cessna 172N | Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States | Margaret Balliet | No injuries | - |
| 18 Jul 2002 | Beechcraft C24R | Grindstone, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 22 Jul 2002 | Cessna 210L | Zelienople, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 Jun 2002 | Cessna 152 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |