- Date
- September 8, 1991, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Rangeley, ME
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N95123Taylorcraft BC/2D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910908038659A
- Case key
- 37007
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
Improper takeoff planning by the pilot which resulted in an inflight collision with trees during initial climb. A factor related to the accident was the pilot's decision not to use the full lake surface available for takeoff.
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 initiated a takeoff on a 3 miles long lake with 2/3S of it behind him. Once airborne, he was unable to outclimb the terrain and struck trees.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N95123
- Reported as
- Taylorcraft BC/2D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 9523
- Airframe hours
- 939
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- George S Coy
- Registered owner
- George S Coy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 2, 1991 · 30 hours before
- Destination
- Colchester, VT
- Airport
- 88B · Rangley, runway 34, 15,000 × ft, water
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
- 47
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 50 in this make and model · 2,950 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 30 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.