Piper PA-12 accident near Cumberland, Wisconsin, September 12, 2024
On September 12, 2024 at about 5:05 pm local time, a 1947 Piper PA-12, registered N7878M, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Cumberland, Wisconsin. 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 visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power due to carburetor icing and the pilot’s delayed use carburetor heat in weather conditions conducive to carburetor icing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 2024 · about 5:05 pm local time
- Place
- Cumberland, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12, built 1947 · all PA-12s on the register
- Registration
- N7878M · registry record · serial 12-3144
- 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 when during cruise descent the engine began to sputter and suddenly lost power. He moved the throttle to full-forward and increased the mixture to full-rich, but the engine resumed operation only 5 to 10 seconds before it lost power a second time. The pilot reported that the airplane was at low altitude that required an immediate forced landing into a nearby cornfield. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mounts, fuselage structure, and right wing. Examination of the airplane fuel system and the engine revealed no evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction. There was ample fuel recovered from the fuel tanks at the accident site, and there was no evidence of any water or particulate contamination of the fuel system. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were in the range of susceptibility for the formation of serious carburetor icing at glide engine power. According to a Federal Aviation Administration Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin, pilots should use carburetor heat while in weather conditions where carburetor icing is probable. When interviewed, the pilot acknowledged that he did not review a carburetor icing chart before the flight. However, he stipulated that he applied carburetor heat after the engine began sputtering. Based on the available information, the loss of engine power was likely due to carburetor ice accumulation. Additionally, the low altitude at which the loss of engine power occurred significantly reduced the amount of time available to the pilot to troubleshoot and restore engine power before the forced 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
- Fuel related during enroute (descent) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 376 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 310 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 13, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,563 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 23, 2024; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,935 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A3B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wings Aircraft LLC
The flight
- Departed from: ASX Ashland WI at 3:45 pm
- Destination: UBE Cumberland WI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 am from KUBE, 5 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KUBE 121655Z AUTO 10SM CLR 25/17 A3010 RMK AO2=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Airplane at Accident Site, Overview
Photograph 2 – Airplane at Accident Site, Fuselage
Photograph 3 – Airplane Wreckage After Recovery
Photograph 4 – Engine OverviewThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on September 18, 2026. 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 | FAA Record of Conversation with Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | NTSB Record of Conversation with FAA Inspector | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Meteorological Data | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | FAA Saib CE-09-35 Carburetor Icing Prevention | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority Article on Carburetor Icing | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Aopa Carburetor Icing Article | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Photos | PDF, 5 pages · our copy | 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.