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Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Taylorcraft BC12-D1 · Skokomish, WA · October 10, 2009

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
October 10, 2009 · 13:00 local
Place
Skokomish, WA
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N44362
NTSB investigation
NTSBWPR10FA223
Reported as
Taylorcraft BC12-D1
Reported engine
Continental A&C65 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Sport pilot, student
Pilot’s flight hours
0 total0 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days
N44362Registration cancelled Nov 29, 2012 · Taylorcraft BC12-D1S/N 10162 · Built 1946Airframe modelTaylorcraft BC12-D1Engine 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.

On October 10, 2009, about 1300 pacific daylight time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D1, N44362, departed harvey field, snohomish, Washington, for an undetermined location. When the sport pilot failed to return that evening, he was reported overdue/missing. The Washington state department of transportation search and rescue team organized a search effort that lasted about one week. As of the termination of that search, neither the airplane nor the pilot had been found. On April 30, 2010, two individuals picking salal on the densely forested lands of the Skokomish tribal reservation about 1.3 miles northwest of Skokomish, Washington, discovered the substantially damaged wreckage of the airplane and the remains of the pilot. The airplane was registered to the pilot, and was being operated under title 14 code of federal regulations part 91. On the day of the flight, visual meteorological conditions prevailed throughout the region. No flight plan had been filed, and the pilot did not tell anyone what his planned destination was. The airplane did not have an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) on board. About four days after the beginning of the search effort, there was a report from an individual in westport, Washington, stating that he believed he may have talked with the pilot in the westport area on the afternoon of October 10, and that the pilot had departed there between 1600 and 1700. Although it could not be positively confirmed that the person this individual talked to was the pilot, he did give information to search and rescue personnel that convinced them that it was possible, if not likely, that it actually had been the pilot of N44362 that he talked with. Based on that information, search and rescue personnel sought recorded radar coverage information for the area between harvey field and westport, and switched their search to the area along the route from westport, Washington to snohomish, Washington. The crash site, which in addition to being in a dense forest, was covered with a dense growth of salal and wild huckleberries. The site was located about 1.5 miles southeast of a direct line between westport and snohomish.FAA personnel have had limited availability of the pilot and maintenance logs books to date. Pilot is deceased.

As the FAA filed it

ON OCTOBER 10, 2009, ABOUT 1300 PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A TAYLORCRAFT BC12-D1, N44362, DEPARTED HARVEY FIELD, SNOHOMISH, WASHINGTON, FOR AN UNDETERMINED LOCATION. WHEN THE SPORT PILOT FAILED TO RETURN THAT EVENING, HE WAS REPORTED OVERDUE/MISSING. THE WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM ORGANIZED A SEARCH EFFORT THAT LASTED ABOUT ONE WEEK. AS OF THE TERMINATION OF THAT SEARCH, NEITHER THE AIRPLANE NOR THE PILOT HAD BEEN FOUND. ON APRIL 30, 2010, TWO INDIVIDUALS PICKING SALAL ON THE DENSELY FORESTED LANDS OF THE SKOKOMISH TRIBAL RESERVATION ABOUT 1.3 MILES NORTHWEST OF SKOKOMISH, WASHINGTON, DISCOVERED THE SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WRECKAGE OF THE AIRPLANE AND THE REMAINS OF THE PILOT. THE AIRPLANE WAS REGISTERED TO THE PILOT, AND WAS BEING OPERATED UNDER TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91. ON THE DAY OF THE FLIGHT, VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED THROUGHOUT THE REGION. NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED, AND THE PILOT DID NOT TELL ANYONE WHAT HIS PLANNED DESTINATION WAS. THE AIRPLANE DID NOT HAVE AN EMERGENCY LOCATOR TRANSMITTER (ELT) ON BOARD. ABOUT FOUR DAYS AFTER THE BEGINNING OF THE SEARCH EFFORT, THERE WAS A REPORT FROM AN INDIVIDUAL IN WESTPORT, WASHINGTON, STATING THAT HE BELIEVED HE MAY HAVE TALKED WITH THE PILOT IN THE WESTPORT AREA ON THE AFTERNOON OF OCTOBER 10, AND THAT THE PILOT HAD DEPARTED THERE BETWEEN 1600 AND 1700. ALTHOUGH IT COULD NOT BE POSITIVELY CONFIRMED THAT THE PERSON THIS INDIVIDUAL TALKED TO WAS THE PILOT, HE DID GIVE INFORMATION TO SEARCH AND RESCUE PERSONNEL THAT CONVINCED THEM THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE, IF NOT LIKELY, THAT IT ACTUALLY HAD BEEN THE PILOT OF N44362 THAT HE TALKED WITH. BASED ON THAT INFORMATION, SEARCH AND RESCUE PERSONNEL SOUGHT RECORDED RADAR COVERAGE INFORMATION FOR THE AREA BETWEEN HARVEY FIELD AND WESTPORT, AND SWITCHED THEIR SEARCH TO THE AREA ALONG THE ROUTE FROM WESTPORT, WASHINGTON TO SNOHOMISH, WASHINGTON. THE CRASH SITE, WHICH IN ADDITION TO BEING IN A DENSE FOREST, WAS COVERED WITH A DENSE GROWTH OF SALAL AND WILD HUCKLEBERRIES. THE SITE WAS LOCATED ABOUT 1.5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF A DIRECT LINE BETWEEN WESTPORT AND SNOHOMISH.FAA PERSONNEL HAVE HAD LIMITED AVAILABILITY OF THE PILOT AND MAINTENANCE LOGS BOOKS TO DATE. PILOT IS DECEASED.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB WPR10FA223Accident · 1 fatalField investigationFinal reportSkokomish, WAThe pilot's failure to maintain clearance from trees while flying over hilly, forested terrain.Oct 11, 2009 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N44362 · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 20100430032799ACruise/Level Flight · Skokomish, WAOn October 10, 2009 about 1300 pacific daylight time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D1 departed harvey field smohomish, Washington, for an undetermined location. When the sport pilot failed to return that evening, he was reported overdue/missing. The Washington state…Apr 30, 2010 · Destroyed · 1 fatal