Taylorcraft BC12-D accident near Yuma, Arizona, October 16, 1993
On October 16, 1993 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D, registered N94981, was destroyed in an accident near Yuma, Arizona (Yuma International Airpor airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a failure of the pilot-in-command to maintain adequate airspeed and subsequent inadvertent stall while maneuvering the airplane. Contamination of the fuel in the carburetor that produced a partial power loss was a factor in the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 16, 1993 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Yuma, Arizona · Yuma International Airpor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft BC12-D · all BC12-Ds on the register
- Registration
- N94981 · registry record · serial 9381
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB FOLLOWING TAKEOFF, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE WAS LOOSING RPM AND THAT HE WAS RETURNING TO THE AIRPORT. WITNESSES HEARD THE ENGINE SPUTTERING AND OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE BEGIN A LEFT TURN. THE AIRPLANE THEN STALLED AND SPUN INTO A PARKING LOT FROM ABOUT 120 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. AN ENGINE EXAMINATION REVEALED NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION; HOWEVER, CORROSION AND DIRT WERE FOUND IN THE CARBURETOR BOWL.
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: 491 hours in all; 50 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,974 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 3, 1992; 197 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: TUS Tucson AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from YUM
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.
Other NTSB records under N94981 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.