Piper PA-12 accident near Hickory, North Carolina, May 27, 1985
On May 27, 1985 at about 2:07 pm local time, a Piper PA-12, registered N2378M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hickory, North Carolina (Hickory Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 27, 1985 · about 2:07 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Hickory, North Carolina · Hickory Muni · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12 · all PA-12s on the register
- Registration
- N2378M · registry record · serial 12-1623
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE PLT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE ACFT & IT GROUND LOOPED & RAN OFF THE RWY. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE LEFT TIRE WENT FLAT, THE LEFT GEAR COLLAPSED & THE LEFT WING WAS DAMAGED.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 320 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 276 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,635 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 16, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 1,625 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GSO Greensboro NC at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 2,705 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from HKY, 1 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2378M on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser 1,247 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,842 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C 31 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Hickory Regional · nearest airport
- Piedmont Triad International · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in North Carolina 1,762 since 1982 · 305 in the last ten years
- North Carolina 7,120 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL85LA174.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.