Taylorcraft BC-12D accident near Lenexa, Kansas, October 25, 1988
On October 25, 1988 at about 6:30 am local time, a Taylorcraft BC-12D, registered N39231, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lenexa, Kansas. 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
- October 25, 1988 · about 6:30 am local time
- Place
- Lenexa, Kansas · 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
- N39231 · no longer on the register · serial 6-A85
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PIC HAD BEEN DRINKING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES BEFORE THE FLT AND HAD TAKEN THE PRESCRIPTION ANTI-DEPRESION DRUG PAMELOR. IN COMBINATION, THE ADVERSE SIDE-EFFECTS OF THE DRUG ARE MAGNIFIED. THE PIC DECIDED TO FLY INSTEAD OF DRIVE TO VISIT A FRIEND WORKING THE NIGHT SHIFT WHERE HE WAS ALSO EMPLOYED. AFTER THE VISIT, THE PIC DEPARTED THE LOCAL AIRPORT TO FLY 7 NM TO A NEARBY AIRPORT WHERE THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN HANGARED. THE PIC ONLY REMEMBERED FLYING ALONG THE INTERSTATE HWY, NORTHWEST OF THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT PRIOR TO THE CRASH. THE IMPACT OCCURRED IN THE CENTER MEDIAN OF THE INTERSTATE HWY. INTERVIEWS WITH THE PIC REVEALED THAT HE HAD ALSO BEEN DRINKING WHILE FLYING THE AIRCRAFT. TOX TESTS REVEALED THAT THE PILOT'S BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL WAS .15%.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 992 hours in all; 68 in this make and model; 92 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 917 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,935 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 6, 1988; 66 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65-8F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OJC Olathe KS at 6:20 am
- Destination: IXD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.