ANC11CA094
2011-09-04 · North Pole, Alaska, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Airport 5AK3
Current FAA registration · N78463
- 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
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
FAA avdata. C = Cause, 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 ↗.
Search this event elsewhere
External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.
- TallyAero Live Wire Aviation press
- NTSB CAROL Agency ↗
- NTSB Docket Agency ↗
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Related research
Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). All research papers
- 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…