Taylorcraft BC12 - D accident near Burnet, Texas, August 5, 2014
On August 5, 2014 at about 3:15 pm local time, a 1946 Taylorcraft BC12 - D, registered N44335, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Burnet, Texas (Burnet Municipal Airport-Kate). It was an instructional 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 flight instructor’s failure to adequately supervise the student pilot and his decision to conduct training in an airplane without dual brakes, which resulted in the student pilot’s loss of directional control during initial taxi and subsequent impact with another airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 2014 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Burnet, Texas · Burnet Municipal Airport-Kate · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft BC12 - D, built 1946 · all BC12 - Ds on the register
- Registration
- N44335 · registry record · serial 10135
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to practice takeoffs and landings. The flight instructor occupied the right seat, and the student occupied the left seat, which was the only position from which the brakes could be controlled. The flight was the sixth instructional flight for the student in the airplane (for a total flight time of 5.7 hours) and the first flight during which he occupied the left seat. The student reported that he applied engine power to begin a taxi and that the airplane then veered left. As the airplane began to veer, the flight instructor told the student to apply right brake and to retard the engine throttle. The flight instructor turned the magneto switch off, and the airplane's left wing then struck a parked airplane. If the accident airplane had been equipped with dual brakes, it is possible that the flight instructor would have stopped the airplane. The student stated that he failed to get his right foot from the rudder to the brake in a "timely manner" and that, in his "confusion," he did not retard the engine throttle. The student stated that, during the attempted recovery, it was still hard for him to understand/coordinate the use of the throttle control and control wheel, thinking that the control wheel acted like a car steering wheel in turning 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
- Loss of control on ground during taxi defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during taxi
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Not installed/available
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other person › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,022 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 6 hours in all; 6 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BMQ Burnet TX at 3:15 pm
- Destination: Llano TX
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from BMQ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.