Pilot Debrief

TAYLORCRAFT BC12-65 near Flushing, MI — 2013-07-17

Final reportCEN13FA416
Sign in to save
Date
2013-07-17
Location
Flushing, MI, USA
Airport
3DA
Aircraft
TAYLORCRAFT BC12-65
Registration
N36466
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
2
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The student pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during the landing approach, which led to a stall/spin, and the flight instructor’s failure to monitor the approach and provide remedial action before the stall.

NTSB narrative

The flight was an instructional flight with a student pilot and a flight instructor onboard. Video evidence from a ground-based source indicated that the airplane was in a nose-high left turn at a moderate bank angle. As the turn progressed, the airplane appeared to pitch down, and the left bank steepened before the airplane left the frame of the video. The location of the camera indicated that the airplane was making a turn in the traffic pattern from the base leg to the final approach. Examination of the airplane after the accident confirmed continuity of the flight control systems. Engine examination confirmed crankshaft and valve train continuity. Although the magnetos would not produce a spark, impact damage would have prevented normal operation. No preimpact anomalies were detected that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane, engine, or related systems. Based on the available evidence, it is likely that the airplane's airspeed diminished during the turn to a point where the airplane stalled and entered a spin.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Instructor could have aborted the approach when the turn became excessive.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 8 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents8

Related mishaps