Piper PA-12 N78466

Summary

On 24 May 2022 at about 12:00 local time, a Piper PA-12 registered N78466 was involved in an accident near Seagraves, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 May 2022 at 12:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Seagraves, Texas, United States

Coordinates

32.9222, -102.6256

Aircraft

Piper PA-12

Registration

N78466

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

Seagraves → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22FA211

1 person died.

The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and loss of control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had been observed flying in the area over a period of several weeks at a low altitude and while performing “ag-type maneuvers” over the fields, as he aspired to become an agricultural pilot. There were no witnesses to the accident; the airplane wreckage was discovered in a field by a local farmer. Examination revealed that the airplane impacted terrain in a nose- and right-wing-low attitude, and the orientation of the wreckage was consistent with an aerodynamic stall/spin. There was no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the available information, it is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering, possibly at low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin, a loss of control, and impact with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.