The Piper PA-12 pilot told investigators that he was landing at a short, unimproved, off-airport landing site near Nikolai, Alaska.
He noted that the plane had a malfunctioning airspeed indicator.
After touchdown, he immediately retracted the flaps when a strong gusting crosswind lifted the left wing, and the right main tire simultaneously hit a large rock.
The airplane bounced into the air, and he applied throttle to arrest the airplane’s descent and touched down again.
Realizing he was beyond the halfway point of the landing surface, he applied full throttle and initiated a go-around. The airplane failed to gain altitude, stalled, hit the ground and nosed-over, sustaining substantial damage to the left wing, vertical stabilizer and rudder.
A postaccident examination revealed no anomalies with the airspeed indicator instrument, however, a blockage was present in the pitot/static system.
The pilot stated that the accident may have been prevented if he had returned to his departure airstrip when he noticed the malfunctioning airspeed indicator rather than continuing and attempting to land at the short, unimproved, off-airport landing site.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s loss of control on go-around in gusting crosswind conditions. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to attempt to land at a short off-airport landing site with a malfunctioning airspeed indicator.
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This August 2021 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Reading this accident report was a stark reminder of just how critical it is to ensure that all flight instruments are working properly before attempting to land, especially at challenging off-airport sites. The pilot’s decision to continue with the landing, even though the airspeed indicator was malfunctioning, was a risky move that ultimately led to a preventable accident. The combination of gusting crosswinds and a stall during the go-around shows how quickly things can go wrong when even minor issues are present. This incident serves as an important reminder for all pilots about the necessity of thorough pre-flight checks and the wisdom of turning back to a safer landing site if there are any instrument problems. It’s a sobering lesson in the critical need for caution and preparedness in aviation.
In retrospect he probably feels like he should’ve just stayed in bed that day
Always lessons to be learned
As a Flight Instructor I used to take a towel and place it over the flight instruments and have my students do a series of lift offs and touchdowns going down the runways. I would have them make a downwind, crosswind and final approach the same way. Why would I do this? Well, “Feel” for what the airplane is telling you! In the beginning airspeed indicators didn’t exist or were generally inaccurate, So, feel and “Seat of the Pants” were and still are a necessary tool to Piloting! Common Sense is another!!
Upsidedown birdie!
An iced over port was one contributing factor to the air florida accident.
Flying with a clogged pitot port in a simple GA aircraft is obviously a no no. Airspeed is not exactly a data point you can fly without.
Some of these reports just don’t warrant any additional comments.
Looking forward to tomorrow’s…
Sadly, another Fat Tire Cowboy bends his bird.