Taylorcraft BC12-D accident near Whitefish, Montana, December 23, 2023
On December 23, 2023 at about 3:25 pm local time, a 1946 Taylorcraft BC12-D, registered N43415, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Whitefish, Montana (Whitefish Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the airport authorities to renew the airport closure NOTAM for the airport. Contributing to the accident, was the pilot’s inability to see the runway closure sign.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 23, 2023 · about 3:25 pm local time · cases in 2023
- Place
- Whitefish, Montana · Whitefish Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft BC12-D, built 1946 · all BC12-Ds on the register
- Registration
- N43415 · registry record · serial 7074
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that the airport had recently been closed but the applicable Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) had expired, and he flew to the airport. Upon arrival, he overflew the field to check the wind direction and then entered a downwind for the runway. The approach was uneventful until just before touchdown when the airplane struck a steel structure, which was a runway closed sign, that had been placed near the runway threshold. The pilot further reported that he did not see the sign before impact due to visibility limitations of the tailwheel-equipped airplane on approach. The airplane subsequently nosed over and came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot thought that the NOTAM of the airport closure had expired. It was determined that the airport was meant to be temporarily closed, but the applicable NOTAM was inadvertently allowed to expire and was not renewed. Appropriate mitigations have since been incorporated to prevent recurrence.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight › Equipment monitoring › Airport
- Organizational issues › Management › Communication (organizational) › Between groups/organizations › Airport
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground equipment › Effect on equipment
- Personnel issues › Physical › Sensory ability/limitation › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 540 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 103 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 457 as pilot in command; 147 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 30, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,407.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 7, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor A&C65 SERIES (piston); 1,440 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1MT4 Whitefish MT at 3:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 2,560 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.99 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 am from KGPI, 6 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KGPI 231455Z 00000KT 6SM -SN OVC040 01/M03 A2999 RMK AO2 SNB32 SLP181 P0001 60001 T00061033 53023
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Airplane vertical stabilizer and rudder damage.
Photograph 2 – Airplane inverted in a snow-covered field.
Photograph 3 – Runway closed sign, located near runway.The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on August 8, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photographs Final | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Accident NOTAM Information | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N43415 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Taylorcraft BC12 BC-12D 1,224 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Taylorcraft 1,896 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor A&C65 SERIES · as the NTSB recorded it
- Whitefish Airport · nearest airport
- Stillwater Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,121 since 1982 · 166 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,041 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR24LA069.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.