NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ANC11CA094
Registry · N78463
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-12
Year of manufacture
1947 · 64 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
3 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19770411
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AAA2A8
Registrant of record
HEDGES WILLIAM P
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during takeoff, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and collision with the water.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the float-equipped airplane aborted 2 takeoffs to the north from a float pond, after failing to become airborne at his no-go decision point. He said the wind was variable, and he initiated a third takeoff to the south. The airplane lifted off prior to reaching the no-go point, but he felt he was not going to clear the trees at the shoreline. He said the wind may have changed direction or quit, and the airplane was near stall airspeed. He said he had no option but to increase the pitch attitude, at which time the airplane stalled, and impacted the pond. The pilot of the float-equipped airplane aborted 2 takeoffs to the north from a float pond after failing to become airborne at his no-go decision point. He reported that the wind was variable and that he then initiated a third takeoff to the south. The airplane lifted off prior to reaching the no-go point, but the pilot thought that he was not going to clear the trees at the shoreline. He said the wind may have changed direction or calmed, and the airplane was near stall airspeed. He said he had no option but to increase the pitch attitude, causing the airplane to stall and impact the pond. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Aircraft capability-Climb capability-Capability exceeded
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2011_ANC11CA094.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Automating Bird Diverter Installation through Multi-Aerial Robots and Signal Temporal Logic Specifications
This paper tackles the task assignment and trajectory generation problem for bird diverter installation using a fleet of multi-rotors.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Variation of Critical Crystallization Pressure for the Formation of Square Ice in Graphene Nanocapillaries
Two-dimensional square ice in graphene nanocapillaries at room temperature is a fascinating phenomenon and has been confirmed experimentally.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Polycrystallinity enhances stress build-up around ice
Damage caused by freezing wet, porous materials is a widespread problem, but is hard to predict or control. Here, we show that polycrystallinity makes a great difference to the stress build-up process…
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Enhanced Prediction of Three-dimensional Finite Iced Wing Separated Flow Near Stall
Icing on three-dimensional wings causes severe flow separation near stall. Standard improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is unable to correctly predict the separating reattaching flow due…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Analysis on the Negative Emotional, Physiological, and Cognitive Responses Elicited from of the Activation of a Stall Alarm
Failing to identify an aerodynamic stall can lead to the inability of an aircraft to sustain flight. To warn pilots of an impending or fully-developed stall, many aircraft have safety devices installe…
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗