Piper PA-12 N3654M

Summary

On 5 September 2011 at about 05:45 local time, a Piper PA-12 registered N3654M, operated by Finn Lunoe, was involved in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska, 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

5 September 2011 at 05:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Merrill Field Airport (PAMR)

Coordinates

61.2136, -149.8445

Aircraft

Piper PA-12

Registration

N3654M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Finn Lunoe

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anchorage → Anchorage

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ANC11CA097

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's misidentification of the runway environment in dusk light conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was attempting to land on an unlighted, gravel runway, at dusk, when he inadvertently touched down in a grass-covered drainage ditch, which was right of the gravel runway. During the landing roll, the airplane collided with a drainage culvert, sustaining substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot noted in his written statement to the NTSB that he was unable to discern the difference between the gravel runway and grass-covered terrain due to the low-light conditions, and he mistakenly selected the grass-covered ditch. The pilot indicated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.