Taylorcraft BC-12D accident near Bingham, Maine, August 23, 1987
On August 23, 1987 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Taylorcraft BC-12D, registered N96241, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bingham, Maine. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. 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 23, 1987 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bingham, Maine
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft BC-12D · all BC-12Ds on the register
- Registration
- N96241 · no longer on the register · serial 8541
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD HE WAS TAKING OFF FROM A LAKE & WAS CLIMBING THRU ABOUT 200-300 FT AGL WHEN THE ACFT ENCTRD A SEVERE DOWNDRAFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE FLOAT PLANE COLLIDED WITH RISING TERRAIN. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS RPRTD. THE PLT RPRTD THE WIND WAS FROM THE NORTH AT 10 GUSTING 15 KTS. A WITNESS STATED THE ACFT APPEARED TO BE BUFFETED BY WINDS AFTER IT BECAME AIRBORNE.
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
- Flight time: 847 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 108 in the last 90 days; 756 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Bingham ME at 9:00 pm
- Destination: Scarborough ME
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.