Piper PA 12 accident near Angleton, Texas, December 20, 2017
On December 20, 2017 at about 9:30 pm local time, a 1947 Piper PA 12, registered N47FP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Angleton, Texas (Texas Gulf Coast Regional 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 passenger's inadvertent activation of the left brake during landing, which resulted in a loss of directional control and a runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 20, 2017 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Angleton, Texas · Texas Gulf Coast Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 12 NO SERIES, built 1947 · all PA 12s on the register
- Registration
- N47FP · no longer on the register · serial 12-2741
- 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 a personal flight with a passenger. He indicated that after an uneventful flight, he performed a pattern approach to the runway for a touch-and-go landing. After touchdown, when the pilot lowered the left wheel to the ground, the airplane immediately and uncontrollably veered sharply to the left. The pilot applied full right rudder and immediately held the stick full right and aft to keep the airplane from ground looping or cartwheeling. The pilot was unable to regain directional control of the airplane, and it departed the runway to the left and collided with two precision approach path indicator lights before coming to a stop. Braking marks on the runway and grass correlated to the left main landing gear tire as it passed from the runway surface onto the grass. Postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies with the left brake system. After the brake examination, the pilot stated that the passenger could have inadvertently had his foot on the brake pedal during the landing rollout. Because the examination did not reveal any anomalies with the brakes, it is likely that the passenger inadvertently activated the left brake pedal 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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Passenger
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Runway/taxi/approach light › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,490 hours in all; 55 in this make and model; 74 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 5,098 as pilot in command; 846 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,392 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 9, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,935 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320A33 (piston); 6,122 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LBX Angleton TX at 8:15 pm
- Destination: LBX Angleton TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 7,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from LBX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on January 3, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for the Record FAA Inspector Brake Examination Findings | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.