Piper PA-12 accident near Swansboro, North Carolina, July 5, 1997
On July 5, 1997 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-12, registered N7799H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Swansboro, North Carolina (Private airport). It was an other work-use 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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control. A factor was the gusting winds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 5, 1997 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Swansboro, North Carolina · Private · 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
- N7799H · no longer on the register · serial PA-12-696
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After the pilot dropped the banner, he returned to the airstrip for a normal landing. The airplane touched down at the mid-field point of the 2,400-foot-long sod strip. After rolling several hundred feet, the airplane started drifting right of the centerline. As the airplane neared the edge of the runway, the pilot advanced the throttle and attempted a takeoff. The airplane continued off the right side of the runway and collided with an embankment. According to the pilot, he experienced gusting winds during the 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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 31, 1996; 300 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4NC5 at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 2,700 ft by 66 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 11 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 pm from NKT, 36 miles away
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.
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.