Taylorcraft BC12-D accident near Garrettsville, Ohio, August 6, 1989
On August 6, 1989 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D, registered N5131M, was destroyed in an accident near Garrettsville, Ohio (Gates airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT DID NOT MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED AND ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO INADVERTENTLY ENTER A STALL/SPIN. TURBULENCE WAS CONSIDERED TO BE A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1989 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Garrettsville, Ohio · Gates · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft BC12-D · all BC12-Ds on the register
- Registration
- N5131M · no longer on the register · serial 10431
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE ACFT WAS IN A SLIGHT LEFT TURN, CROSSING OVER TREES ON FINAL APCH FOR LANDING, WHEN IT 'VIOLENTLY TURNED' AS IF A WING HAD STALLED. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT CRASHED IN A LEFT WING LOW, NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. DUE TO A HEAD INJURY, THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO REMEMBER THE ACDNT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS EVIDENT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 550 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 490 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,360 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 27, 1988; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7D8 at 4:50 pm
- Destination: 7D8
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from CAK, 31 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.