Taylorcraft BC12-D N94973

Summary

On 28 November 2012 at about 16:57 local time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D registered N94973, operated by William A. Konicek, was involved in an accident near Clutier, Iowa, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, 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

28 November 2012 at 16:57

Classification

Accident

Location

Clutier, Iowa, United States

Nearest airport

Private (NONE)

Coordinates

42.0861, -92.4422

Aircraft

Taylorcraft BC12-D

Registration

N94973

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

William A. Konicek

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Traer → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13FA078

1 person died.

The pilot’s failure to monitor, recognize, and identify obstacles on approach to landing, which resulted in an inadvertent collision with power lines. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s expectation and assumption that there were no above-ground power lines in the area.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was on approach to an unimproved airstrip when it struck power lines and then impacted terrain. The pilot had previously flown into this airstrip but had not done so recently. When the field was previously used as an airstrip, the power lines were buried; however, the power lines had recently been moved above ground. The pilot may not have been aware that the power lines had been moved above ground, and the lines were not marked. The surviving passenger stated that he never saw the power lines before the airplane struck them. The pilot's medical records revealed diagnoses of hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and bipolar disease. Toxicology testing showed the presence of medications consistent with the treatment of these conditions. Although the pilot’s medical records and toxicology results indicated that the pilot had recently stopped taking some medications that could have adversely affected his performance, his bipolar disease would have had significant negative effects on cognition, including memory and executive functioning/judgment, and would have been disqualifying for a medical certification. Therefore, although it is possible that the pilot's underlying psychiatric disease and its treatment may have affected his judgment, it is not possible to determine the extent to which it may have contributed to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.