NTSB ANC11CA063 — 2011-07-10 · Gulkana, Alaska, United States

Current FAA registration · N2318M

Make / Model: PIPER PA-12
Year of manufacture: 1946 · 65 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING 0-235 SERIES (115 hp)
Seats / Engines: 3 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19550908
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A20FB3

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N2318M Piper PA-12 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing.

Factual narrative

The private pilot reported that the tailwheel-equipped airplane bounced following a hard landing. He applied remedial control inputs, but upon touching down again, he lost directional control and the airplane ground-looped. He said there were no mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident that would have contributed to the accident. The fuselage received substantial damage during the accident. The pilot reported that the tailwheel-equipped airplane bounced following a hard landing. He applied remedial control inputs, but upon touching down again, he lost directional control and the airplane ground-looped. The fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Aircraft-Aircraft structures-Fuselage-Frames (main fuselage)-Damaged/degraded
C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2011_ANC11CA063.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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