Taylorcraft BC12-D accident near Rainy Pass, Alaska, August 25, 1988
On August 25, 1988 at about 1:00 am local time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D, registered N95165, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rainy Pass, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- August 25, 1988 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Rainy Pass, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft BC12-D · all BC12-Ds on the register
- Registration
- N95165 · no longer on the register · serial 9565
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO FLY THRU RAINY PASS, AK, BUT SAID HE FLEW UP THE WRONG VALLEY. AS HE CONTD, THE ACFT GOT INTO A SITUATION WHERE THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO TURN AROUND OR OUTCLIMB RISING TERRAIN. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASH LANDED ON THE MOUNTAIN SIDE AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 4200'.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 146 hours in all; 137 in this make and model; 106 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,062 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 8, 1987; 103 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Z15 Chugiak AK at 6:45 pm
- Destination: Hartman River AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.