Taylorcraft BC-12-D accident near White Mountain, Alaska, January 31, 1983
On January 31, 1983 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Taylorcraft BC-12-D, registered N39196, was substantially damaged in an accident near White Mountain, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 31, 1983 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- White Mountain, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft BC-12-D · all BC-12-Ds on the register
- Registration
- N39196 · no longer on the register · serial 6448
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS DEMONSTRATING SKI LANDINGS ON RIVER ICE. THE OAT WAS AT LEAST MINUS 20 DEG F. AFTER A PROLONGED POWER-OFF DESCENT HE RECOGNIZED A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL POWER BUT THE ENG WOULD NOT RESPOND. THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO STRETCH HIS GLIDE BUT THE ACFT STALLED & THE RIGHT SKI-GEAR COLLAPSED. THE PLT LATER STATED HE HAD NOT CONSIDERED THE EFFECT OF THE EXTREME COLD ON THE NON-WINTERIZED ENG. HE COULD NOT RECALL HAVING THE CARB HEAT CONTROL ON, NOR DID HE KNOW THAT THE HEAT WAS REQUIRED TO PRECLUDE A TOO-LEAN MIXTURE FOR THIS ENG.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,150 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 3,000 as pilot in command; 11 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,434 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 5, 1982; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.