Aviation Crash Map

Piper PA-12 N7556H

18 August 2009 · Mount Holly, New Jersey, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 18 August 2009 at about 18:50 local time, a Piper PA-12 registered N7556H, operated by Dennis Mazzoni / John Pallante, was involved in an accident near Mount Holly, New Jersey, 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.

The record

Date
at 18:50
Classification
Accident
Location
Mount Holly, New Jersey, United States
Nearest airport
South Jersey Regional (VAY)
Coordinates
39.9392, -74.8403
Aircraft
Piper PA-12
Registration
N7556H
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Dennis Mazzoni / John Pallante
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Mount Holly → Mount Holly
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
ERA09LA468

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
2 0 0 0 2

Probable cause

A loss of directional control during landing for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that after he lowered the tailwheel to the runway on landing, the airplane became "squirrely" and veered to the left. He attempted to correct the trajectory with the application of "full left rudder and brake," but the airplane departed the dry paved surface of the 50-foot-wide runway and ground-looped in the grass on the left side of the runway. The pilot believed that the non-pilot-rated passenger had inadvertently interfered with the airplane controls, but the passenger denied any interference. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane and stated that the tailwheel centering mechanism was "weak," and could "easily" be moved out of the centered position. An FAA-conducted functional check of the left brake system determined that the system operated normally. The right braking system was damaged in the accident, which precluded a functional check, but the FAA inspector reported that a visual check did not reveal any preaccident failures.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

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All 813 records for this type

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All 170,864 records in United States