Piper PA-12 N2914M

Summary

On 29 September 2003 at about 22:00 local time, a Piper PA-12 registered N2914M was involved in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 September 2003 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Merrill Field (PAMR)

Coordinates

61.2136, -149.8445

Aircraft

Piper PA-12

Registration

N2914M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anchorage → Anchorage

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC03LA127

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power for an undetermined reason, which resulted in a forced landing and collision with a runway light fixture.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On the takeoff initial climb, about 60 feet above the ground, the airplane's engine lost power. During an emergency descent/ landing, the pilot said he switched the fuel selector valve from one tank to the other. During the landing roll, the engine power suddenly returned. The right main landing gear tire struck a runway edge light fixture, and the right main gear collapsed, damaging the propeller and the right wing lift strut. During recent maintenance, a mechanic had removed the fuel selector valve for lubrication and inspection. The mechanic reported that he noticed the fuel valve shaft did not have an index shape to properly match the selector handle position, and consequently was careful to reinstall the handle on the valve as he found it. The mechanic performed about a 10 minute engine run after reinstalling the valve. He said the pilot also ran the engine for about an additional 10 minutes before departure. The fuel selector handle is attached to the valve shaft by a screw, and can be rotated 360 degrees. The handle incorporates an arrow to provide visual reference for fuel tank selection that matches placard markings on a metal trim panel. An examination of the airplane was conducted at a recovery facility by FAA personnel, 18 days after the accident. Prior to the examination, the fuel valve handle and trim panel were removed by recovery personnel, but reportedly replaced in the position found before recovery. The FAA found that the selector handle was installed with the arrow of the handle oriented 90 degrees counterclockwise from its proper valve orientation. When the fuel selector handle was placed on the left tank, the valve was actually positioned to the right tank. When the fuel selector handle was placed on the right tank, the valve was actually positioned to an "off" position. The pilot initially reported that the fuel selector handle was positioned on the left tank during takeoff, but when asked later about the fuel selector handle position, he said he could not be certain that the fuel handle was on the left fuel tank. No further examination of the airframe fuel system or the engine was performed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.