ANC99LA080

NTSB accident investigation · Taylorcraft BC-12D · North Pole, AK · June 24, 1999

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
June 23, 1999, 16:05 local (Jun 24, 1999, 00:05 UTC)
Place
North Pole, AK
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Taxi
Aircraft
N95064Taylorcraft BC-12D
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report December 4, 2000
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Alaska Regional Office
Case key
46652

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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.

The pilot's inadvertent ground loop during a high speed taxi. A factor associated with the accident is the pilot's decision to taxi the airplane at an excessive taxi speed.

Analysis

The pilot reported he was flying from the right seat to become familiar with giving anticipated flight instruction from that side. After landing, he made a high speed taxi, and lost directional control. The airplane ground looped to the right, went off the runway, and struck trees. The pilot said that the airplane did not have brake pedals installed on the right side of the cockpit.

Factual narrative

On June 23, 1999, about 1605 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Taylorcraft BC-12D airplane, N95064, sustained substantial damage during landing at the Lakloey airstrip, a private airstrip about 9 miles southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The airplane was registered to the pilot. The certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on June 24, the pilot, who is also a flight instructor, reported that he was practicing touch and go landings from the right seat in preparation for student instruction. The pilot reported after landing on runway 06, he was doing a high speed taxi with the tail up. The pilot said he lost directional control and ground looped to the right 90 degrees. The airplane subsequently collided with trees about 10 feet south of the runway. The pilot noted that the airplane did not have brake pedals installed on the right side. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.

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.

Loss of control - on ground/waterTaxi - from landing
Ground loop/swerve - inadvertentPilot in commandCause
Taxispeed - excessivePilot in commandFactor
On ground/water collision with objectTaxi - from landing
Object - tree(s)

Aircraft

Registration
N95064
Reported as
Taylorcraft BC-12D
Category
Airplane
Serial number
9464
Airframe hours
1,792
Engine
Continental A-65-8, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Bradley J. Mc Cue
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · June 22, 1999 · 2 hours before
Airport
LL · Lakloey, runway 6, 4,000 × 60 ft, gravel

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
41
Certificates
Commercial, Flight instructor
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Seat
Right
Flight hours
1,273 total · 90 in this make and model · 1,020 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
Calm
Visibility
90 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
7,000 ft broken
Temperature
64 °F