Piper PA12 accident near Gilliam, Louisiana, November 23, 2020
On November 23, 2020, a Piper PA12, registered N2569M, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Gilliam, Louisiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The non-instrument rated pilot’s encounter with poor weather conditions resulting in his performing a precautionary landing to a cornfield and subsequently nosing over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 23, 2020
- Place
- Gilliam, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA12 · all PA12s on the register
- Registration
- N2569M · registry record · serial 12-940
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument rated pilot reported he was ferrying the airplane when he encountered poor weather conditions. The pilot reported that the fog was too thick to see, so he tried to circle back to an airport that he had passed during the flight. Unable to find the airport, he decided to perform a precautionary landing to a road. However, the pilot overshot the road and landed in a cornfield. The airplane subsequently nosed over coming to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low visibility › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 3,317.7 hours in all; 1,975 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: July 20, 2019
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 900 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from KDTN, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on July 2, 2021. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Police Report Narrative | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 3 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.