Taylorcraft BC12-D accident near St Marys, Kansas, October 26, 2005
On October 26, 2005 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D, registered N39216, was substantially damaged in an accident near St Marys, Kansas. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not maintaining directional control of the airplane during the landing and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action. A factor was the standpipe the airplane impacted when the airplane exited the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 2005 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- St Marys, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft BC12-D · all BC12-Ds on the register
- Registration
- N39216 · registry record · serial 6470
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The tailwheel airplane sustained substantial damage when the airplane exited the runway during landing and nosed over on impact with a standpipe at a private airpark. The flight instructor stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane in reference to the flight. His safety recommendation stated, "As instructor I should have acted earlier [and] more aggressively."
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 17,695 hours in all; 208 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 12,735 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,416 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 2,126 as pilot in command; 240 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 1, 2004
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,154.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2005; 23.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-75-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: St Marys KS at 8:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,400 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from TOP, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.