Piper PA-12 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, September 17, 1982
On September 17, 1982, a Piper PA-12, registered N3829M, was destroyed in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Lake Hood airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 1982
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Lake Hood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12 · all PA-12s on the register
- Registration
- N3829M · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO LIFT OFF AT THE END OF THE LAKE, TURN DOWNWIND & STALL, THE ACFT WAS OVER MAX TAKEOFF GROSS WEIGHT & THE REAR CG WAS BEYOND THE AFT LIMIT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 614 hours in all; 147 in this make and model; 192 in the last 90 days; 423 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,992 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,625 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Anchorage AK at 4:22 pm
- Destination: Shirley Lake AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 1,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 127°F (53°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
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.