Piper PA-12 accident near Panhandle, Texas, June 12, 1999
On June 12, 1999 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-12, registered N2699M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Panhandle, Texas. 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 failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll. A factor was the noise heard by the pilot that resulted in his decision to execute a precautionary landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 1999 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Panhandle, Texas · 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
- N2699M · registry record · serial 12-1203
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot lost control of the 1946 model tail-wheel equipped airplane during the landing roll following a precautionary landing on a road. According to the pilot, he heard a 'loud pop' while in cruise flight. The pilot elected to make a precautionary landing because of his concern with the age of the airplane. During the landing roll, the pilot allowed the airplane to drift to the right side of the road 'thinking he was going too slow for it to matter.' The tires sunk into the soft ground on the side of the road, and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest inverted.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,348 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1,195 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,496 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 4, 1999; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1E7 Amarillo TX at 4:30 pm
- Destination: T45 TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.