Taylorcraft BC12-65 accident near Flushing, Michigan, July 31, 2009
On July 31, 2009 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Taylorcraft BC12-65, registered N77FJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Flushing, Michigan (Dalton Airport). It was an instructional 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 pilot's failure to maintain adequate descent rate and airspeed on final resulting in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 2009 · about 10:15 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Flushing, Michigan · Dalton Airport · 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 BC12-65 · all BC12-65s on the register
- Registration
- N77FJ · registry record · serial 2808
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he used a forward slip to lose altitude on final. He said that he was a "little slow" when he came out of the slip. He reported that the landing was a hard landing, the right main landing gear contacted first, and then the gear folded under the airplane.
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
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Hard landing during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 80 hours in all; 54 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor A&C65 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3DA Flushing MI at 9:00 pm
- Destination: 3DA Flushing MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on August 20, 2009. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N77FJ on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Taylorcraft BC12 BC-12D 1,224 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Taylorcraft 1,897 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor A&C65 SERIES · as the NTSB recorded it
- Dalton Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Michigan 2,107 since 1982 · 230 in the last ten years
- Michigan 7,226 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN09CA485.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.