NTSB CEN21LA087 — 2020-11-22 · Gilliam, Louisiana, United States

Current FAA registration · N2569M

Make / Model: PIPER PA-12
Year of manufacture: 1946 · 74 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 3 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 20020828
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A27167

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N2569M Piper PA12 None

Probable cause & findings

The non-instrument rated pilot’s encounter with poor weather conditions resulting in his performing a precautionary landing to a cornfield and subsequently nosing over.

Factual narrative

The non-instrument rated pilot reported he was ferrying the airplane when he encountered poor weather conditions. The pilot reported that the fog was too thick to see, so he tried to circle back to an airport that he had passed during the flight. Unable to find the airport, he decided to perform a precautionary landing to a road. However, the pilot overshot the road and landed in a cornfield. The airplane subsequently nosed over coming to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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.

— Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
— Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-Low visibility-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_CEN21LA087.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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