Piper PA 12 N4018H

Summary

On 17 June 2017 at about 22:34 local time, a Piper PA 12 registered N4018H was involved in an accident near Skwentna, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 June 2017 at 22:34

Classification

Accident

Location

Skwentna, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Remote Creek (None)

Coordinates

61.8792, -150.7947

Aircraft

Piper PA 12

Registration

N4018H

Category

Airplane

Year built

1947

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Houston → Skwentna

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC17LA033

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to properly secure the external load, which resulted in the load shifting during flight, interference with the water rudder cable, and a subsequent loss of control

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was transporting about 120 lbs of plywood, secured to the airplane's float struts via cargo straps, to his remote cabin. The pilot reported that, about 200 ft above the ground during the landing approach, the airplane experienced an uncommanded left turn, then the pilot realized that he had no rudder control and that the rudder was "locked to the left." The airplane subsequently impacted trees and terrain. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies with the engine and no anomalies with the airplane before the loss of control. The airplane's water rudder cables descend from the fuselage along the support struts to which the plywood was secured. The water rudders were directly linked to the rudder. It is likely that, during the flight, the plywood shifted and interfered with the water rudder cable, which resulted in the pilot's loss of rudder control during the landing approach.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.