Taylorcraft BC12-D N95592

Summary

On 12 August 2015 at about 16:00 local time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D registered N95592 was involved in an accident near Pearland, Texas, 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

12 August 2015 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Pearland, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Pearland Regional Airport (LVJ)

Coordinates

29.5214, -95.2422

Aircraft

Taylorcraft BC12-D

Registration

N95592

Category

Airplane

Year built

1946

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Arcola → Pearland

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15CA356

1 person had minor injuries.

The student pilot inadvertently shut off the fuel valve while on the downwind leg, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and a forced landing short of the runway.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot reported that while on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, after crossing abeam the runway touchdown zone, he inadvertently shut off the fuel valve instead of activating the carburetor heat. Unaware of his mistake, the pilot continued on the landing approach believing the engine was operating at a reduced power setting. The pilot reported that after maneuvering the airplane onto final approach, he realized that the airplane was lower than normal and attempted to increase engine power. After the engine did not respond to his throttle movements, the pilot noticed that the carburetor heat control was not turned on. Believing the engine was experiencing carburetor icing, the pilot activated the carburetor heat. Still without any response from the engine, the pilot completed a forced landing short of the intended runway. The airplane collided with two trees during the forced landing, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings. While securing the airplane after the accident, the pilot realized that he had inadvertently shut off the fuel valve while on the downwind leg instead of activating the carburetor heat. He stated that the two systems had similar push/pull control knobs that were positioned next to each other in the cockpit.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.