Piper PA-12 accident near Delta Junction, Alaska, April 29, 2007
On April 29, 2007 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-12, registered N3613M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Delta Junction, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The damaged and deflated over-sized tire on the main landing gear, which precipitated a loss of directional control during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 2007 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Delta Junction, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12 · all PA-12s on the register
- Registration
- N3613M · registry record · serial 12-2459
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting off airport landings in a tundra-tire equipped airplane under Title 14, CFR Part 91. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge on April 30, the pilot reported he had flown the airplane for about an hour since his previous off airport landing. He said when he touched down, unknown to him, his right main landing gear tire was flat, and due to its large size, he was unable to maintain directional control on the ground. The airplane exited the intended landing area into rough and uneven terrain. He reported airplane nosed over, and the left wing lift-strut was bent. The pilot said when he examined the deflated tire he found a stick imbedded in the tire, which he believes was from his previous landing.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 100 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Off Airport Sit
- Destination: Delta Junction AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N3613M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.