Piper PA-12 accident near Lewiston, Idaho, February 23, 2007
On February 23, 2007 at about 8:05 pm local time, a Piper PA-12, registered N2343M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lewiston, Idaho (Lewiston-Nez Perce County 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 inadvertent use of the rudder by the passenger, which resulted in an inadvertent ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 23, 2007 · about 8:05 pm local time
- Place
- Lewiston, Idaho · Lewiston-Nez Perce County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12 · all PA-12s on the register
- Registration
- N2343M · no longer on the register · serial 12-1603
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, at the aircraft owner's request, he was flying with the passenger to help him become current since the passenger had not flown any type of aircraft in the last 8 years. The pilot was making a no-flap 3-point full stall landing with the passenger following on the controls with him. During the landing roll, as the airplane slowed down, the pilot let some pressure off the rudder pedals to slide his toes up onto the brakes. As soon as the pressure was released from the rudder pedals, the airplane started to swerve "one way then the other." The pilot attempted to correct, but the airplane "spun a 180-degree turn to the left." The left wing tip and the right elevator struck the ground. The pilot reported that the passenger was wearing heavy boots and may have inadvertently "kicked hard right or left rudder and then became briefly entangled in the rudder pedals."
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 11,538 hours in all; 1,121 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LWS Lewiston ID at 7:35 pm
- Destination: LWS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 5,002 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N2343M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.