# Accident 19970814022429A: Tcraft BC12D, Corcoran, CA, August 14, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 14, 1997, 19:30 local time
- Place: Corcoran, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Unauth Low Level Opns
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.2705° N, 119.6296° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.2705&lon=-119.6296&mi=10
- Aircraft: N96294, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N96294-1997-11-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Taylorcraft BC12-D (registry code 8850316, https://openairdocs.org/model/taylorcraft-bc12-d) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: TCRAFT BC12D
- Reported engine: CONT A658
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 336 total, 336 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX97FA288](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97FA288) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970814022429A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AIRCRAFT STRUCK POWERLINES AND CRASHED IN A FIELD. (.4) THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED BY AN EYEWITNESS TO BE FLYING AT THE SAME ALTITUDE AS A SET OF UNMARKED ELECTRIC POWER TRANSMISSION LINES. THE EYEWITNESS STATED HE HEARD THE AIRCRAFT CONTACT THE LINES AND THEN OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE DESCEND AND COLLIDE WITH THE GROUND IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE.  THE ENGINE SOUNDS WERE CONSTANT UNTIL THE COLLISION WITH THE WIRE.  THE ELECTRIC COMPANY MEASURED THE POWER LINES AND STATED THEY WERE ABOUT 30 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND STRUNG BETWEEN POLES 243 FEET APART.  A PERSONAL ASSOCIATE OF THE PILOT STATED THAT THE PILOT ENJOYED FLYING LOW AND SLOW, BUT ADDED HE USUALLY RESPECTED THE DISTANCE REQUIREMENTS REGARDING AIRCRAFT TO PROPERTY SEPARATION.  SUNSET OCCURRED ABOUT 20 MINUTES AFTER THE ACCIDENT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX97FA288](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97FA288), Aug 15, 1997: Taylorcraft BC12-D (N96294), Corcoran, CA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain separation from ground obstacles.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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