Taylorcraft BC-12D accident near Inverness, Florida, May 12, 2015
On May 12, 2015 at about 11:40 am local time, a 1946 Taylorcraft BC-12D, registered N43715, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Inverness, Florida (Inverness airport). It was a personal flight 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
A disconnection of the tailwheel steering mechanism during landing, which resulted in the pilot’s loss of directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 2015 · about 11:40 am local time
- Place
- Inverness, Florida · Inverness · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft BC-12D, built 1946 · all BC-12Ds on the register
- Registration
- N43715 · no longer on the register · serial 7374
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After an uneventful preflight inspection and flight around the local area, the private pilot returned to the departure airport to practice touch-and-go landings in the tailwheel-equipped airplane. The first two practice landings were uneventful; during the third landing roll, the pilot felt a vibration originating from the tailwheel that rapidly increased in intensity before the airplane suddenly veered to the left. The pilot attempted to compensate by applying full rudder control to the right, but the airplane continued to the left, departed the runway, struck a taxiway sign, and pitched nose down, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane's tailwheel revealed that the steering mechanism components connecting the tailwheel to the rudder had disconnected. Although a spring was recovered from the runway after the accident, the remaining hardware components were not recovered. Given this information, it is likely that the tailwheel steering mechanism became disconnected at some point during the landing and ultimately resulted in the pilot's inability to maintain directional control of the airplane. Because some of the steering mechanism components were not recovered, the reason for the disconnection could not be determined.
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 landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear steering system › Failure
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Sign/marker › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 306 hours in all; 45 in this make and model
- Last flight review: December 20, 2013
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,140 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 15, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors A65-8 (piston); 2,014 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: INF Inverness FL
- Destination: INF Inverness FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 5,001 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 am from KINF, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on November 13, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.