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CEN12CA148

2012-02-05 · Thedford, Nebraska, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport TIF

Current FAA registration · N3671Z

Make / Model
PIPER PA-18
Engine
CONT MOTOR C90 SERIES (95 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19600630
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A428E0

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot did not maintain directional control during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion.

Factual narrative

The private pilot reported that he was on landing rollout on the runway when the left main gear hit a patch of ice on the runway and the airplane began to veer to the left. The pilot’s efforts to correct the veer were unsuccessful and the airplane spun more than 90 degrees nose to the left and impacted terrain and a snowbank. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane’s fuselage, right wing, and right wing strut were substantially damaged during the accident. The pilot reported that, during the landing roll, the left main landing gear hit a patch of ice on the runway, and the airplane began to veer to the left. The pilot’s efforts to correct the veer were unsuccessful, and the airplane spun more than 90 degrees to the left and impacted a snowbank. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane’s fuselage, right wing, and right wing strut were substantially damaged during the accident. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa-Snow/slush/ice covered-Effect on equipment

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2012_CEN12CA148.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion). All research papers