Taylorcraft BC12-D accident near Surf City, North Carolina, September 13, 1988
On September 13, 1988 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D, registered N96522, was substantially damaged in an accident near Surf City, North Carolina (North Topsail Island airport). 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 13, 1988 · about 10:10 pm local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- Surf City, North Carolina · North Topsail Island · cases near this airport · map
- 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
- N96522 · no longer on the register · serial 8822
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED AT A PRIVATE TURF STRIP IN GUSTY WIND CONDITIONS. AT LEVEL OFF FOR A 3-POINT LANDING ON RWY 24, THE RIGHT WING WAS LIFTED SHARPLY BY A WIND GUST. RIGHT AILERON AND RUDDER WERE APPLIED AND POWER WAS ADDED TO GO-AROUND. AS THE AIRPLANE LEVELED OFF TO CLIMB AWAY THE LEFT WING STRUCK ONE OF THE TREES WHICH LINED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RWY. THE PILOT HAD ALLOWED THE AIRPLANE TO DRIFT INTO THE TREES ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RWY DUE TO A RIGHT QUARTERING HEADWIND.
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: 127 hours in all; 37 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 667 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 11, 1988; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NC95 Holly Ridge NC at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 2,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N96522: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Taylorcraft BC12 BC-12D 1,224 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Taylorcraft 1,896 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 137 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Murphy Medical Center Heliport · nearest airport
- Mission Hospitals Heliport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in North Carolina 1,762 since 1982 · 304 in the last ten years
- North Carolina 7,123 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL88LA250.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.