- Date
- June 12, 1989, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Longbranch, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N39976Taylorcraft BC-12D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890612015459A
- Case key
- 41028
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 poor in-flight decision by the pilot to land on water, downwind. His failure to compensate for the wind conditions resulted in a loss of control and nose over of the airplane.
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
While practicing water landings for his initial floatplane rating, the recently certified private pilot lost control after touchdown on water, and the aircraft nosed over. The pilot reported he attempted to land to the south and a wx observation for the area listed the winds from the northeast.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39976
- Reported as
- Taylorcraft BC-12D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 6635
- Airframe hours
- 3,426
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Frank Bowen
- Registered owner
- Mark & Bowen Scott
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 24, 1989
- Departed
- Tacoma, WA
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
- 28
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 99 total · 18 in this make and model · 40 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TIW, 8 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N39976 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.