- Date
- March 3, 2021, 17:30 local (Mar 4, 2021, 02:30 UTC)
- Place
- Palmer, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N43300Taylorcraft BC12-D
- Defining event
- Taxi: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20210303001119I
- Case key
- 102737
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s selection of unsuitable terrain for taxi, which resulted in the airplane encountering a crevasse.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that, while departing from the off-airport snow-covered glacier, he was not comfortable with the acceleration of the tailwheel-ski-equipped airplane and aborted the takeoff. He then began a back taxi and allowed the airplane to make a wide radius turn. Subsequently, during the turn the airplane dropped vertically into an unseen crevasse. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wing lift struts. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N43300
- Reported as
- Taylorcraft BC12-D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 6959
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 4,163.3
- Engine
- Cont Motor C85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 6, 2020
- Departed
- AQY · Girdwood, AK
- Destination
- Bryn Mawr Glac., AK
- Equipment
- None
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 33
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 1, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 6,500 total · 550 in this make and model · 5,400 as pilot in command · 55 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 9 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.58 inHg
- Observed at
- PAAQ, 48 nm away
- METAR
- PAAQ 040053Z 00000KT 10SM CLR M07/M13 A2955 RMK AO2 SLP012 T10721128
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.