NTSB ERA20CA268 — 2020-07-18 · Linconville, Maine, United States

Current FAA registration · N4365M

Make / Model: PIPER PA-12
Year of manufacture: 1947 · 73 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING 0-235 SERIES (115 hp)
Seats / Engines: 3 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19560526
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A53C7B

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N4365M Piper PA 12 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing and subsequent main landing gear collapse.

Factual narrative

At the conclusion of a local flight with stops at several airports, the pilot was returning to the private grass runway. The pilot described that the final approach to the runway was “too fast,” and that when the airplane touched down on the soft turf it bounced. When the airplane touched down a second time, the landing gear collapsed. The fuselage was substantially damaged. 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.

C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_ERA20CA268.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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