Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll with a crosswind, after the right tailwheel spring separated.
NTSB analysis
The tailwheel equipped airplane veered to the left during the landing roll and nosed over when the pilot attempted to correct by utilizing the airplane’s brakes. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. The right tailwheel spring was found disconnected. Subsequent inspection of the right tail-wheel spring revealed tooling marks, and that the attachment loop had been closed back towards its original radius. When asked about the tooling marks on the separated spring, the pilot/owner suggested they may have occurred during a previous annual inspection or “when it fell off a few years ago when I had a bad tailwheel shimmy.” At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing the airplane on runway 32 with wind from 250° at 5 knots.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA24LA024 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Oct 27, 2023
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Rangeley, Maine
- Nearest airport
- Stephen A Bean Muni (8B0)
- Highest injury
- Minor
- Minor injuries
- 2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Piper PA-12
- N-number
- N3910M
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1947
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.