19970514014769I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Tcraft BC12-D · Nashua, NH · May 14, 1997

Date: May 14, 1997 · 12:50 local
Place: Nashua, NH
Airport: Boire Field
Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N43935
Reported as: Tcraft BC12D
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,202 total95 in this make and model83 in the last 90 days

N43935Registered now · Taylorcraft BC12-DS/N 7594 · Built 1946 Airframe modelTaylorcraft BC12-D Engine modelContinental A&C65 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: the pilot experienced a right crosswind and attempted to align the aircraft longitudinally over the runway. The pilot applied forward elevator and full power. The aircraft touched down and veered to the left. The aircraft left the runway and ground looped in a left turn. It came to rest on the nose approximately 180 degrees from its original heading. It sustained propeller damage, and the pilot depowered the aircraft and exited. While the pilot waited for assistance, a strong wind gust flipped the aircraft on its back. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the vertical fin and to tubular structure that connects from the engine mount and the wing root as a result of the wind gust.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: THE PILOT EXPERIENCED A RIGHT CROSSWIND AND ATTEMPTED TO ALIGN THE AIRCRAFT LONGITUDINALLY OVER THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT APPLIED FORWARD ELEVATOR AND FULL POWER. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN AND VEERED TO THE LEFT. THE AIRCRAFT LEFT THE RUNWAY AND GROUND LOOPED IN A LEFT TURN. IT CAME TO REST ON THE NOSE APPROXIMATELY 180 DEGREES FROM ITS ORIGINAL HEADING. IT SUSTAINED PROPELLER DAMAGE, AND THE PILOT DEPOWERED THE AIRCRAFT AND EXITED. WHILE THE PILOT WAITED FOR ASSISTANCE, A STRONG WIND GUST FLIPPED THE AIRCRAFT ON ITS BACK. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE VERTICAL FIN AND TO TUBULAR STRUCTURE THAT CONNECTS FROM THE ENGINE MOUNT AND THE WING ROOT AS A RESULT OF THE WIND GUST.