Piper PA-12 N278JB

Summary

On 12 May 2012 at about 22:55 local time, a Piper PA-12 registered N278JB was involved in an accident near Idaho Falls, 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

12 May 2012 at 22:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Idaho Falls, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

Idaho Falls Regional (IDA)

Coordinates

43.5136, -112.0708

Aircraft

Piper PA-12

Registration

N278JB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Idaho Falls → Idaho Falls

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR12CA202

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper landing flare, inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, and subsequent failure to maintain directional control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and his passenger departed from the pilot's home airport for a brief personal flight. About 10 minutes later, the pilot returned to the airport traffic area and entered the traffic pattern. In his initial telephone interview with the NTSB, the pilot reported that there "was a crosswind, with some gusting," and that the airplane bounced after its initial touchdown. It then bounced several more times, ground looped, and veered off the runway, substantially damaging the left wing. The pilot reported that he did not experience any mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane. In his subsequent written statement to the NTSB, the pilot reported that, while on the downwind leg, he was asked by the controller to "keep [the] pattern short," since his airplane was slow and there was another airplane behind him. The pilot said that he landed close behind a Cessna 182 that had just departed. The pilot was uncertain whether the bounces and loss of control were due to the wind or to the wake turbulence from the departing airplane. The automated weather observation at the airport, which was posted about 2 minutes before the accident, included variable wind at 4 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.