Piper PA-12 N78456

Summary

On 27 June 2007 at about 03:30 local time, a Piper PA-12 registered N78456 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

27 June 2007 at 03:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.2106, -149.8892

Aircraft

Piper PA-12

Registration

N78456

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anchorage → Deshka River

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC07LA056

Nobody was injured.

The malfunction of an engine magneto during cruise flight, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power, and an on-ground encounter with terrain. A factor associated with the accident was the high vegetation at the off-airport landing site.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private certificated pilot was conducting a personal local flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The pilot said that during cruise flight the engine started to run rough. He was unable to get the engine to run smoothly, and elected to make a precautionary landing on a grass-covered field. He said the grass was knee to waist high, and the airplane nosed over during the landing roll. The pilot indicated that the wings and rudder were damaged when the airplane nosed over. An aircraft mechanic who examined the airplane after recovery said that during a test run of the engine, the engine appeared to have a malfunctioning magneto. The magneto was sent to a shop for examination, and the technician who examined the magneto, said the upper housing had fractured, allowing the wire-lugs to float internally, and the engine to run rough. He said the damage to the magneto did not appear to be the result of the accident, and that the failure of the upper housing was not uncommon in older airplanes.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.