Takeoff & Initial Climb · NTSB ERA18FA149
TAYLORCRAFT BC12 — Commerce, GA
| Date | May 21, 2018 |
| Location | Commerce, GA |
| Aircraft | TAYLORCRAFT BC12 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Initial climb Loss of control in flight |
| Pilot age | 80 |
| Pilot total time | 10,366 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Capability exceeded - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Conducive to carburetor icing-Effect on equipment - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Conducive to carburetor icing-Response/compensation - C
What happened
The commercial pilot departed on a visual flight rules local flight. A witness saw the pilot conduct a preflight inspection of the accident airplane and depart on a 10-minute flight. When the airplane returned to the airstrip to land, the witness heard the engine rpm "going up and down." After the airplane landed, the pilot began taxiing toward the hangar but then taxied 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 with the engine sputtering. 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.
Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The weather conditions near the accident site at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of serious carburetor icing at descent engine power settings. Given that these conditions existed, and that the witness reported the engine rpm may have been fluctuating during the airplane's previous landing approach, it is likely that carburetor ice accumulated during the prior descent and possibly the taxi period that followed prior to the accident takeoff. The undetected partial loss of power during the accident takeoff ultimately led to an aerodynamic stall from which the pilot was unable to recover.