Bede Aircraft BD12 accident near Chesterfield, Missouri, September 14, 1995
On September 14, 1995 at about 4:50 pm local time, a Bede Aircraft BD12, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N112BD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chesterfield, Missouri (Spirit Of St. Louis airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 AIRPLANE'S INADEQUATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS WHICH RESULTED IN THE INABILITY TO CONTROL PITCH ATTITUDE DURING LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 14, 1995 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- Chesterfield, Missouri · Spirit Of St. Louis · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bede Aircraft BD12, amateur-built
- Registration
- N112BD · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRPLANE'S FLIGHT TEST MISSION WAS FOR HIGH SPEED TAXI TESTS WITH THE INTENT TO LIFT OFF THE GROUND FOR A FLIGHT ABOVE THE RUNWAY. AFTER LIFTOFF THE PILOT SAID THE AIRPLANE'S LONGITUDINAL HANDLING QUALITIES WERE UNDESIREABLE. HE SAID HE COULD NOT ACHIEVE A PROPER AIRPLANE PITCH ATTITUDE TO ESTABLISH A FLARE LANDING ATTITUDE BEFORE THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN HARD.
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: 1,300 hours in all; 40 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 29, 1995; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,830 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bede Aircraft CO.
The flight
- Departed from: SUS at 4:53 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26L, 7,005 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from SUS
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.
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.