- Date
- June 3, 2022, 11:15 local (15:15 UTC)
- Place
- Pittsboro, NC · wheat field
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N44374Taylorcraft BC12-D1
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Fuel contamination
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220603009509A
- Case key
- 105186
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 student pilot, and flight instructor’s, inadequate preflight inspection, during which they failed to detect water contamination in the fuel system, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.
Findings · 3
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 student pilot, and his flight instructor, were on a local training flight practicing maneuvers. Shortly after the student transferred fuel from the wing tanks to the main fuel tank, the engine lost all power. Unable to restart the engine, they performed a forced landing to a wheat field. During the landing, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. Examination of the airplane revealed water and corrosion present in the fuel gascolator. The night before the accident the airplane was parked outside, and it had rained. The student pilot reported that as part of his preflight, he drained the sump at the bottom of the engine but did not drain the wing fuel sumps. The flight instructor reported that he was not familiar with the airplane and the location of the fuel sumps.
Factual narrative
On June 3, 2022, about 1115 eastern daylight time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D1, N44374, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Pittsboro, North Carolina. The student pilot and flight instructor were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the flight instructor, they departed on a local area training flight. After flying for about 40 to 50 minutes, while in cruise flight at 2,000 feet mean sea level, the engine stopped producing power. They used the emergency checklist to attempt to restart the engine to no avail. The student pilot performed a forced landing to a wheat field. During the landing rollout, the airplane impacted a rut in the field, flipped over and came to rest inverted. Examination of the airplane revealed the water and corrosion in the fuel gascolator. The airplane was parked outside on the ramp the night before the accident, and it had rained. The student pilot stated that about 5 to 10 minutes before the loss of power he transferred fuel from the wing fuel tank to the main fuel tank. He also reported that during his preflight he drained the fuel sump at the gascolator, but not the wing fuel tanks. The flight instructor stated that he was not familiar with the airplane and the location of the fuel sumps.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44374
- Reported as
- Taylorcraft BC12-D1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 10174
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 1,483
- Engine
- Continential A&C 65, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 13, 2021 · 80 hours before
- Departed
- TTA · Sanford, NC
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 237.25 total · 88.5 in this make and model · 73.5 as pilot in command · 62.5 in the last 90 days · 45 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 12, 2022
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 1,100 total · 8.1 in this make and model · 1,052 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 4.7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.86 inHg
- Observed at
- TTA, 10 nm away
- METAR
- KTTA 031555Z AUTO 34005KT 10SM CLR 26/18 A2986 RMK AO2 T02620178
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 26, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.