Taylorcraft BC12-D N43085

Summary

On 16 May 2002 at about 14:25 local time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D registered N43085 was involved in an accident near Gaston, Oregon, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 May 2002 at 14:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Gaston, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Dick Fisher (69OR)

Coordinates

45.4158, -123.1367

Aircraft

Taylorcraft BC12-D

Registration

N43085

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gaston → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA02LA082

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from object(s) while executing a forced landing following a total loss of power for undetermined cause(s). Contributing factors where the pole impacted during the emergency landing and the pilot's diverted attention.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot took his Taylorcraft BC12-D, which had not been inspected for nearly three years and had been sitting in storage for the previous year, and prepped it for flight. During the prepping procedure he drained the fuel (auto gas) from the aircraft, and flushed the tanks and lines with auto gas. He also cleaned the carburetor and screen, removed and cleaned the spark plugs, flushed out old storage oil in the cylinders and adjusted the timing. A week later he took the plane out of the hangar, drained the gas sumps, checked the oil and started the engine and allowed it to warm up to 100 degrees oil temperature. He then ran the engine up to 2300 RPM, checked the carburetor heat and magnetos and then started his takeoff roll. About 40-50 feet above ground and headed northbound from his 800 foot long turf airstrip the engine abruptly quit. The pilot focused his attention inside the aircraft as he attempted to determine the reason for the loss of engine power. During that time the aircraft collided with a power pole beyond the end of the runway and impacted terrain coming to rest in a ditch. An FAA inspector examined the engine and found foreign material in both the gascolator and the carburetor bowl, and corrosion within the left magneto, but no mechanical malfunction was discovered.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.