Piper PA-12 accident near Glennallen, Alaska, April 2, 1983
On April 2, 1983 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-12, registered N2826M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Glennallen, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- April 2, 1983 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Glennallen, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12 · all PA-12s on the register
- Registration
- N2826M · no longer on the register · serial 12-1307
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES REPORTED THAT AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PLT FLEW BY A CABIN AT APPROXIMATELY 200 FT, SIGNALED BY ROCKING THE ACFT'S WINGS, THEN BEGAN A GRADUAL CLIMB. THE CLIMB INCREASED IN STEEPNESS UNTIL 1 WITNESS COULD SEE THE ENTIRE TOP OF THE ACFT. IT THEN NOSED OVER, MADE 1 1/2 TO 2 1/2 TURNS & CRASHED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO SPECIFIC PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE. HOWEVER, AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT ACFT HAD RECEIVED 3 MAJOR MODIFICATIONS, 2 OF WHICH WERE UNDER SUPPLEMENTAL TYPE CERTIFICATES (STC'S). A MODIFIED ELEVATOR BELLCRANK HAD BEEN INSTALLED, BUT THERE WAS NO FLOOR OR PROTECTIVE COVERING INSTALLED OVER THE BELLCRANK. ONLY A CANVAS BARRIER PROTECTED THE BELLCRANK FROM ITEMS PLACED IN THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT. THE EDGES OF THE CANVAS DID NOT EXTEND TO THE SIDES, TOP & BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE, BUT INSTEAD, THERE WAS A 2 TO 3 INCH CAP, LACED WITHE STRING TO HOLD THE CANVAS SECURE. A WHISK BROOM WAS FOUND IN THE PROXIMITY OF THE ELEVATOR BELLCRANK.
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: 779 hours in all; 244 in this make and model; 653 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,527 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 1,625 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Lake Louise AK at 3:43 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Observation at 2:00 pm from GKN, 37 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.