Taylorcraft BL-65 N24345

Summary

On 9 April 2022 at about 18:00 local time, a Taylorcraft BL-65 registered N24345 was involved in an accident near Counselor, New Mexico, 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

9 April 2022 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Counselor, New Mexico, United States

Coordinates

36.1315, -107.4453

Aircraft

Taylorcraft BL-65

Registration

N24345

Category

Airplane

Year built

1940

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Afton → Kerrville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22FA148

1 person died.

A loss of control while maneuvering at a high-density altitude in gusty wind conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot had just purchased the tailwheel-equipped, 65-horsepower airplane and was flying it from Wyoming to his home in Texas accompanied by a flight instructor. During one of their fuel stops on the first day of the trip, the instructor spoke with a local pilot and stated that the accident airplane had difficulty climbing above 8,000 ft during previous legs of the trip. The accident occurred on the second leg of the second day of the trip. The accident flight originated from an airport at an elevation about 5,500 ft mean sea level (msl), with a density altitude over 7,000 ft, and proceeded over an area of high desert terrain. About 50 nautical miles from the departure airport, the airplane was seen maneuvering at low altitude toward a ridgeline, then away from the ridgeline and toward a nearby dirt road before it descended, impacted terrain, and nosed over. The witness further reported that, at the time of the accident, the winds were gusting from the southwest, over the ridgeline, and that the airplane’s engine was running. The pilot was fatally injured. The instructor sustained serious injuries and stated that he had no recollection of the accident flight after departure. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any mechanical failures that would have precluded normal operation. The accident site was located at an elevation of about 7,100 ft msl. The calculated density altitude at the accident site exceeded 9,000 ft. The operating manual for the engine make and model revealed that, at an altitude of 7,000 ft, the full throttle sea-level horsepower value is reduced to 78.9%. At 9,500 and 10,000 ft, the sea level horsepower is reduced further to 72.5% and 70.8%, respectively. Given the instructor’s statement the previous day regarding the airplane’s performance above 8,000 ft, and the estimated density altitude conditions at the accident site, it is likely that the airplane’s performance was significantly degraded during the accident flight as a result of high-density altitude. It is possible that the pilots may have also been experiencing mechanical turbulence due to the mountainous terrain and gusting wind conditions described by the witness.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.