- Date
- November 14, 1992, 13:40 local (21:40 UTC)
- Place
- Mariposa, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5187MTaylorcraft BC-12D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921114046509A
- Case key
- 27863
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 failure to maintain a sufficient airspeed margin while on final approach, and, after encountering a down draft, his failure to correct the resulting descent rate and maintain a glide path which would maintain obstacle clearance.
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 pilot said he was on approach to his private airstrip and he let the aircraft get low and slow. The aircraft encountered a downdraft which the pilot was unable to correct and the airplane collided with trees at the approach end of the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5187M
- Reported as
- Taylorcraft BC-12D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 10487
- Airframe hours
- 1,325
- Engine
- Continental C-85-8, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Joseph E. Carbaugh
- Registered owner
- Arthur P. Christen
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 23, 1992 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- MCE · Merced, CA
- Airport
- NONE · Private Strip, runway 33, 1,073 × 50 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
- 62
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 713 total · 366 in this make and model · 641 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.