Accident: Piper PA 12
Apr 8, 2017 · Sanford, FL
NTSB numberERA17FA148Event id20170408X41518
- 1
- Fatalities
- 0
- Serious injuries
- 0
- Minor injuries
- 0
- Uninjured
Probable cause
The incorrect rigging of the elevator control cables, which resulted in a reversal of elevator control inputs applied by the pilot during the takeoff, an excessive nose-high pitch, and subsequent aerodynamic stall after takeoff. Also causal was the inadequate postmaintenance inspection and the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and before takeoff check, which failed to detect the misrigging.
Source: National Transportation Safety Board. Record last changed Oct 28, 2026, 10:54 UTC.
Aircraft involved
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 12
- Registration
- N3280M
- Year built
- 1947
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Operating rules
- Part 91: general aviation
- Defining event
- Takeoff Flight control sys malf/fail
Source: National Transportation Safety Board aviation accident database. Counts only; Voydar holds no names.
Nearest airports
Airports with a Voydar profile closest to the recorded position. Proximity only.
- Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB)1 nm (2 km) west
- Orlando Executive Airport (ORL)15 nm (27 km) south-west
- Orlando International Airport (MCO)21 nm (39 km) south
This page restates the NTSB's public record. Injury figures are counts; Voydar does not hold or publish the names of anyone involved.