Taylorcraft BC-12D accident near Lompoc, California, August 31, 1986
On August 31, 1986 at about 8:33 pm local time, a Taylorcraft BC-12D, registered N434CW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lompoc, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 1986 · about 8:33 pm local time
- Place
- Lompoc, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft BC-12D · all BC-12Ds on the register
- Registration
- N434CW · registry record · serial 7158
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT'S SON THE PLT ROUTINELY OVERFLEW HIS HOME AND ROCKED THE WINGS. THE PLT INDICATED THAT HE WAS FLYING AT 1100 FT MSL (APRX 650 FT AGL) OVER HIS SON'S RANCH AND DECIDED TO DEMONSTRATE SLOW FLT. HE SLOWED THE ACFT TO 70 MPH AND MADE ONE CIRCLE. THE PLT THEN DECIDED TO MAKE A SECOND CIRCLE. HE STATED, 'FORGETTING THAT I WAS ALREADY AT A SLOW SPEED - UPON ENTRY INTO A STEEP LEFT TURN, THE AIRCRAFT STALLED.'
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 369 hours in all; 309 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 331 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,774 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 22, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LPC Lompoc CA at 8:30 pm
- Destination: IZA Santa Ynez CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 26 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:57 pm from SMX, 20 miles away
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.