- Date
- May 24, 1987, 19:00 local (May 25, 1987, 03:00 UTC)
- Place
- Soldotna, AK
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N96857Taylorcraft BC-12D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 10, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19870524015889A
- Case key
- 4851
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The 280 hour private pilot was observed doing steeply banked turns in excess of 90 degrees, inside loops and other aerobatic maneuvers, prior to entering a spin at an estimated altitude of 1500 to 2000 feet. The airplane completed approximately 8 turns prior to spin recovery and struck trees during the pull-up phase of the recovery. The pilot remained conscious and was able to crawl away from his badly damaged airplane. A video camera inside the airplane recorded the aerobatics and crash scenario.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N96857
- Reported as
- Taylorcraft BC-12D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 9157
- Airframe hours
- 1,500
- Engine
- Continental C85-12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jeremy S. Davis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1986 · 200 hours before
- Departed
- Soldotna, AK
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
- 20
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 280 total · 208 in this make and model · 253 as pilot in command · 190 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ENA, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.