Taylorcraft BC12 accident near Commerce, GA
On May 21, 2018, a Taylorcraft BC12 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Commerce, GA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 21, 2018
- Place
- Commerce, GA
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft BC12 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.153°N, 83.368°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180521X11944
Official records · ERA18FA149
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 21, 2018, about 1910 eastern daylight time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D airplane, N94909, was substantially damaged when it collided with trees and terrain during the initial climb after takeoff from a private airstrip in Commerce, Georgia. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. A witness saw the pilot conduct a preflight inspection of the accident airplane and depart from the airstrip. When the airplane returned to the airstrip about 10 minutes later, the witness heard the engine rpm "going up and down." After the airplane landed, the pilot began taxiing the airplane toward the hangar but then turned around and taxied the airplane back to the runway for another takeoff. The witness stated that the airplane reached an altitude between about 50 and 75 ft above the runway. At that time, the airplane seemed to slow and was just above the trees when the right wing and then the nose dropped, which was followed by an impact with trees. The witness reported hearing the engine sputter before the airplane impacted the trees. When the witness arrived at the accident site to assist the pilot, he noticed that fuel was leaking and that the starter motor was running. He thought that the pilot had been attempting to restart the engine. The witness also stated the pilot typically wore hearing aids but was not wearing them durin
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to effectively mitigate an accumulation of carburetor ice, which resulted in an undetected partial loss of engine power and an aerodynamic stall during takeoff.
More accidents in GA
- Embraer EMB-120RT, Apr 5, 1991
- Cessna 208, Sep 29, 1985
- Beech 400, Dec 11, 1991
- Embraer EMB-120RT, Aug 21, 1995
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-30, Apr 20, 1982
Browse: Georgia · Taylorcraft aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
