Taylorcraft BL-65 accident near Calera, Alabama, September 6, 1988
On September 6, 1988 at about 12:30 pm local time, a Taylorcraft BL-65, registered N24487, was substantially damaged in an accident near Calera, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- September 6, 1988 · about 12:30 pm local time
- Place
- Calera, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft BL-65 · all BL-65s on the register
- Registration
- N24487 · registry record · serial 1827
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE LOST POWER DURING DESCENT. THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED INTO A CORNFIELD AFTER CLEARING A ROW OF TREES, AS THE PLT WAS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A FORCED LANDING. POST-CRASH EXAM OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THAT BOTH THE MAIN & AUX FUEL TANKS WERE EMPTY. THE PLT STATED THAT HE HAD DEPARTED WITH AN ESTIMATED 4 GALLONS OF FUEL ONBOARD WHICH WAS ENOUGH FOR 1 TO 1 1/2 HRS OF FLT. THE TOTAL DURATION OF THE FLT WAS 35 TO 55 MINUTES BASED ON TIMES REPORTED BY THE PLT.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 632 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 577 as pilot in command; 78 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,611 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 2, 1988; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-145 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 21A Alabaster AL at 11:45 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:48 am from BHM, 31 miles away
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.