NTSB CAROL · Event
Event GAA16CA008
Registry · N7879H
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-12
Year of manufacture
1946 · 69 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-235 SERIES (115 hp)
Seats / Engines
3 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19551013
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AAAE22
Registrant of record
LORENCE JOSHUA J
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from trees during the approach to land, resulting in a collision with trees.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, during a landing at an airstrip, he did not realize that he was not centered on the airstrip. The pilot reported that the left wing tip struck a tree during the approach to land. He reported that he tried to control the airplane after the initial impact, however the left wing impacted a second tree, and the airplane collided with the terrain coming to rest in the brush. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies prior to or during the flight that would have prevented normal operation. According to the pilot, during a landing at an airstrip, he did not realize that he was not centered on the airstrip. The pilot reported that the left wing tip struck a tree during the approach to land. He reported that he tried to control the airplane after the initial impact, however the left wing impacted a second tree, and the airplane collided with the terrain coming to rest in the brush. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies prior to or during the flight that would have prevented normal operation. 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).
- C Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Task monitoring/vigilance-Pilot - C
- C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Awareness of condition - C
- — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Effect on equipment
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2015_GAA16CA008.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. 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 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
Impacts of Reduced Pressure Atmospheres on Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) Architectures
The study found that while nine subsystems are viable without modification at 10.2 psia, only three remain acceptable at 8.2 psia.
- arXiv 2026 · arXiv preprint
Cassie-Wenzel transition induced by localized freezing after droplet impact on supercooled micro-patterned surfaces
Micro-patterned surfaces have attracted significant attention in numerous applications owing to their potential to enhance hydrophobic and icephobic properties.
- arXiv 2026 · arXiv preprint
An Exact Algorithm for Load-Dependent Traveling Salesman Problem for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Package Delivery
In this article, we present a novel formulation for the load-dependent traveling salesman problem (LD-TSP), in which travel cost (or energy expended) depends on the vehicle's current load.
- arXiv 2026 · arXiv preprint
A Computationally Tractable Path-Planning Method for Airborne Wind Energy Systems
Airborne Wind Energy Systems (AWES) have emerged as a promising renewable energy technology that exploits stronger, more consistent high-altitude winds via tethered airborne devices.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Accepted Manuscript (Version with final changes)
Computational Functional Hazard Assessment (CFHA): A New Paradigm for Autonomous Aviation Systems
Functional Hazard Assessment (FHA) is a cornerstone of safety assurance for civil airborne systems. However, as the National Airspace System’s ecosystem is evolving and novel operations with varying l…
- arXiv 2026 · arXiv preprint
Separation Assurance between Heterogeneous Fleets of Small Unmanned Aerial Systems via Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning
In the envisioned future dense urban airspace, multiple companies will operate heterogeneous fleets of small unmanned aerial systems (sUASs), where each fleet includes several homogeneous aircraft wit…
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