Taylorcraft BC12-D accident near Gaston, Oregon, May 16, 2002
On May 16, 2002 at about 2:25 pm local time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D, registered N43085, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gaston, Oregon (Dick Fisher airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from object(s) while executing a forced landing following a total loss of power for undetermined cause(s). Contributing factors where the pole impacted during the emergency landing and the pilot's diverted attention.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 16, 2002 · about 2:25 pm local time
- Place
- Gaston, Oregon · Dick Fisher · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft BC12-D · all BC12-Ds on the register
- Registration
- N43085 · registry record · serial 6744
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot took his Taylorcraft BC12-D, which had not been inspected for nearly three years and had been sitting in storage for the previous year, and prepped it for flight. During the prepping procedure he drained the fuel (auto gas) from the aircraft, and flushed the tanks and lines with auto gas. He also cleaned the carburetor and screen, removed and cleaned the spark plugs, flushed out old storage oil in the cylinders and adjusted the timing. A week later he took the plane out of the hangar, drained the gas sumps, checked the oil and started the engine and allowed it to warm up to 100 degrees oil temperature. He then ran the engine up to 2300 RPM, checked the carburetor heat and magnetos and then started his takeoff roll. About 40-50 feet above ground and headed northbound from his 800 foot long turf airstrip the engine abruptly quit. The pilot focused his attention inside the aircraft as he attempted to determine the reason for the loss of engine power. During that time the aircraft collided with a power pole beyond the end of the runway and impacted terrain coming to rest in a ditch. An FAA inspector examined the engine and found foreign material in both the gascolator and the carburetor bowl, and corrosion within the left magneto, but no mechanical malfunction was discovered.
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: 4,221 hours in all; 4,050 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 4,184 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 11, 1995
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,871 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 9, 1999; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OR69 Gaston OR at 2:25 pm
- Destination: OR69
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 800 ft by 45 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from MMV, 12 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.