Piper PA-12 accident near Carrol, Iowa, November 22, 1998
On November 22, 1998 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-12, registered N92585, was substantially damaged in an accident near Carrol, Iowa. 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 pilot's inadequate preflight inpection of the fuel tanks and filler neck caps before departure. Factors associated with this accident were the leaking right wing fuel tank filler cap and fuel exhaution.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 22, 1998 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Carrol, Iowa · 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
- N92585 · registry record · serial 12-115
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he added 5-gallons of auto fuel to the left and right wing tanks before departure. He said he didn't visually check the fuel, but felt it with his finger in each fuel tank. While enroute to the destination airport, the engine stopped operating when the airplane was about 8-minutes north of the airport, according to the pilot. The pilot said he landed the airplane on a down-sloped field. As the airplane approached the end of the field the pilot said he applied elevator back-pressure to get the airplane to jump the ditches at its end. The airplane landed on a gravel road and bounced onto a plowed field, nosing over. The on-scene investigation revealed empty fuel tanks. The right wing had a colored stain similar to fuel that started at the fuel filler neck and went aft to the trailing edge. There was no colored stain near the left wing's fuel filler neck.
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: 129 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 80 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,912 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 15, 1998; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: D39 Sauk Center MN at 6:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:30 pm from CIN, 5 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.