Piper PA-12 N2343M

Summary

On 23 February 2007 at about 20:05 local time, a Piper PA-12 registered N2343M was involved in an accident near Lewiston, Idaho, United States. 2 people were 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

23 February 2007 at 20:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Lewiston, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

Lewiston-Nez Perce County (LWS)

Coordinates

46.3744, -117.0153

Aircraft

Piper PA-12

Registration

N2343M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lewiston → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA07CA065

Nobody was injured.

the inadvertent use of the rudder by the passenger, which resulted in an inadvertent ground loop.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, at the aircraft owner's request, he was flying with the passenger to help him become current since the passenger had not flown any type of aircraft in the last 8 years. The pilot was making a no-flap 3-point full stall landing with the passenger following on the controls with him. During the landing roll, as the airplane slowed down, the pilot let some pressure off the rudder pedals to slide his toes up onto the brakes. As soon as the pressure was released from the rudder pedals, the airplane started to swerve "one way then the other." The pilot attempted to correct, but the airplane "spun a 180-degree turn to the left." The left wing tip and the right elevator struck the ground. The pilot reported that the passenger was wearing heavy boots and may have inadvertently "kicked hard right or left rudder and then became briefly entangled in the rudder pedals."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.