Taylorcraft BC12-D accident near Aitkin, Minnesota, July 13, 1999
On July 13, 1999 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D, registered N96884, was substantially damaged in an accident near Aitkin, Minnesota (Aitkin Muni - S Kurtz Fld airport). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the right spring in the tailwheel assembly's separation. Factors were the fatigue in the landing gear, the maintenance personnel not identifying the fatigue during the annual inspection, and the right main gear's separation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 1999 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Aitkin, Minnesota · Aitkin Muni - S Kurtz Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft BC12-D · all BC12-Ds on the register
- Registration
- N96884 · registry record · serial 9184
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The wheel separated from the aircraft. The pilot said that in the roll out, the aircraft decelerated to 10-15 mph and the aircraft veered to the left. The pilot applied the brakes and the aircraft moved to the left of the runway. The aircraft began to skip and tipped to the right. The airplane came to rest off the left side of the runway. The right wing dragged on the runway. The landing gear gouged the asphalt. The prop struck the dirt alongside the runway. The wheel was found lying on the runway. The right spring on the tail wheel was found detached. The accident airplane's annual inspection was completed on May 25, 1999 and accumulated nine hours of flight time since the annual. The axle was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board's Materials Laboratory for examination. An excerpt from the laboratory's report states, 'The circumferential portion of the fracture surface was located on the inboard side of the circular plate at the top of the axle and had a dark brown and rubbed appearance, indicative of a crack that has been in existence for an extended time. This portion of the fracture was directly adjacent to the circular plate, through either the weld of heat affected zone adjacent to the weld between the upper struts and the circular plate. The circumferential portion of the fracture contained what appeared to be a wide but shallow crack arrest position, suggestive of crack initiation from a wide area approximately in the center of this portion of the fracture.' The pilot's safety recommendation states, 'The crack in the axle was tucked within the brake cylinder. The only way to inspect it would be removal of the wheel & brake assembly.'
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 1,400 as pilot in command; 5,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,960 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 25, 1999; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AIT at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:57 pm from AIT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI99LA241.