Taylorcraft BC12-65 N36041

Summary

On 13 December 2010 at about 23:50 local time, a Taylorcraft BC12-65 registered N36041 was involved in an accident near College Place, Washington, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 December 2010 at 23:50

Classification

Accident

Location

College Place, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Martin Field Airport (S95)

Coordinates

46.0503, -118.4086

Aircraft

Taylorcraft BC12-65

Registration

N36041

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

College Place → College Place

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11LA076

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to abort the landing when he lost sight of the runway due to sun glare, and his inadequate compensation for the crosswind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had just performed four uneventful takeoffs and landings in light and variable wind. He then deplaned a passenger and departed for a short local flight. About 20 minutes later, he returned to land on the same runway. He noted that the sun was low on the horizon, and as he turned the airplane onto the final approach leg of the traffic pattern, his view became completely obscured by the sun's glare. He maneuvered the airplane in an unsuccessful attempt to see the runway, and the airplane subsequently struck trees located approximately 250 feet to the right of the runway. The airplane departed controlled flight and struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot stated that he did not correct for a crosswind during the final approach, and the airplane drifted from the runway centerline. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A Safety Board computer program used to calculate the position of the sun and moon was used and the sun disk was determined to be 1.8 degrees above the western horizon on an azimuth of 233.2 degrees.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.