Taylorcraft BC-12D accident near Mccalla, Alabama, May 14, 1998
On May 14, 1998 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Taylorcraft BC-12D, registered N96750, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mccalla, Alabama (Coyote Airdrome airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in a stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 14, 1998 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Mccalla, Alabama · Coyote Airdrome · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft BC-12D · all BC-12Ds on the register
- Registration
- N96750 · no longer on the register · serial 9050
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was doing a go-around when the airplane suddenly nosed down from an altitude of about 100 feet above the ground, and impacted the terrain in a nearly vertical attitude. The surviving right seat passenger stated he remembers little about the incident, but felt the loss of control was not a malfunction of the airplane. Post crash examination of the engine, airframe, and flight controls confirmed this. Postmortem examination and toxicology testing of specimens from the pilot showed no findings that could be considered causal to the accident.
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: 650 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,524 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 12, 1998; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 1,500 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 30,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from BHM, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.