N96709 Taylorcraft BC12 accident

NTSB GAA20CA015 · 2019-10-13 · Goddard, KS · near SN64

Docket — crew, injuries and powerplant

Summary

The pilot reported that, during takeoff, the airplane lifted off and that he felt "a strange push," and the airplane drifted left toward some hangars. He made corrections toward the runway centerline, and the airplane felt "mushy." The airspeed decreased, so he lowered the nose to increase the airspeed. The airplane then stalled, impacted a soft field, and came to a sudden stop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot added that the wind was 7 to 10 mph from the south-southeast and shifted to 7 to 10 mph from the north-northeast. The pilot departed from runway 18.

Full narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during takeoff, the airplane lifted off and he felt "a strange push" and the airplane drifted left towards some hangars. He made corrections toward the runway centerline and the airplane felt "mushy." The airspeed decreased, so he lowered the nose to increase the airspeed. The airplane "continued to [aerodynamically] stall." The airplane landed in a soft field and came to a sudden stop.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The automated weather observation station, located 6 miles to the east, reported that, about 37 minutes before the accident, the wind was variable at 3 knots. The same automated station reported that, about 23 minutes after the accident, the wind was calm. The pilot reported that the wind was 7 to 10 mph from the south-southeast and shifted to 7 to 10 mph from the north-northeast. The pilot departed on runway 18.

Probable cause

The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident.

Circumstances

Event type
Accident
Highest injury
None
Weather conditions
Visual Meteorological Cond
Light condition
Day
Sky condition
NONE
Ceiling (ft)
0
Visibility (sm)
10
Wind direction
0
Temperature (F)
66
Nearest airport
ECK FIELD
Distance from field
0.0
Airport elevation
1413

Aircraft

RegistrationMakeModelDamageFAR part
N96709 Taylorcraft BC12 SUBS 091

Sequence of events

#OccurrencePhase
1 Takeoff Aerodynamic stall/spin defining Takeoff
2 Takeoff Attempted remediation/recovery Takeoff
3 Takeoff Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) Takeoff

Findings

Finding
Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Capability exceeded cause
Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot cause
Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Variable wind-Effect on operation factor