Piper PA-12 N3668N

Summary

On 18 January 2014 at about 17:00 local time, a Piper PA-12 registered N3668N, operated by Connors Sean P, was involved in an accident near Zephyrhills, Florida, 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

18 January 2014 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Zephyrhills, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Zephyrhills Muni (ZPH)

Coordinates

28.2281, -82.1558

Aircraft

Piper PA-12

Registration

N3668N

Category

Airplane

Year built

1947

Engines

1

Operator

Connors Sean P

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tampa → Zephyrhills

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA103

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate compensation for gusting wind conditions, which resulted in a hard landing that produced forces beyond the structural capability of the airframe.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was landing on runway 4 with surface wind from 275 degrees at 15 knots gusting to 25 knots. The approach was normal, but the airplane touched down long. A gust of wind lifted the left wing high while the pilot input full left aileron controls. He added power while attempting to recover, but the left wing descended, and the left main landing gear subsequently collapsed when the airplane landed hard, which resulted in structural damage to the lower fuselage. The airplane ground looped around the failed gear and came to a stop. The pilot reported that the main gear safety cable, which was designed to prevent airframe damage in the event of a failed main gear bungee, had malfunctioned. A postaccident examination of the braided steel cable revealed that it failed in tension overload, and no evidence of a preimpact anomaly was found. The cable attachment points were secure. The main landing gear bungees were severed. Although the position of the cable before the hard landing could not be determined due to airplane and landing gear damage, the safety cable likely severed the main landing gear bungees during the accident sequence.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.