- Date
- August 6, 1988, 09:15 local (15:15 UTC)
- Place
- Clinton, MT
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N95855Taylorcraft BC12-D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 3, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880806031079A
- Case key
- 17522
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 plt rprtd that drg takeoff from rwy 25, the winds were from 270 deg at 10 gusting 15 KTS. He stated that drg the initial climb, the airplane enctrd a severe windshear. Subsequently, he lost control & the acft struck the ground in a 40 deg nose down, 70 deg left bank attitude. The acft then cartwheeled & came to rest inverted on the rwy. The left wing was sheared at the strut ends, the fuselage was bent & the eng was torn away from the acft. The plt said he felt the acft had enctrd a whirlwind. Also, the plt noted that there was mountainous terrain nearby & whirlwinds were common. However, just before the acdnt, rain had fallen, which would have prevented blowing dust from making whirlwinds visible.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N95855
- Reported as
- Taylorcraft BC12-D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 8155
- Airframe hours
- 2,464
- Engine
- Continental A-65-8F, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ernest E. & Aileen Nicolls
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 22, 1987 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- 25S
- Destination
- 9S5 · Three Forks, MT
- Airport
- 25S · Eliott Field, runway 25, 3,800 × 75 ft, grass/turf
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
- 60
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,095 total · 417 in this make and model · 1,010 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.