GENESEO, NY, USA
N43705
TAYLORCRAFT BC-12
THE AIRPLANE LANDED AT A LOCAL AIRPORT, WHERE THE PILOT PURCHASED AUTO FUEL FROM A VENDOR. PLASTIC CONTAINERS WERE USED TO TRANSPORT THE FUEL TO THE AIRPLANE. DURING INITIAL CLIMB AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING. DURING THE LANDING THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER. EXAMINATION REVEALED THE AIRPLANE'S FUEL TANKS ALL CONTAINED AUTO FUEL, AND THE CARBURETOR BOWL CONTAINED WATER AND SEDIMENT. THE PLASTIC CONTAINERS USED TO TRANSPORT THE FUEL ALSO CONTAINED WATER AND SEDIMENT.
On June 1, 1995, at 1430 eastern daylight time, a Taylorcraft BC-12, N43705, was substantially damaged during a forced landing after takeoff from the Geneseo Airport, Geneseo, New York. The private pilot was seriously injured and the passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, for the personal flight originating at Geneseo. No flight plan had been filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot and passenger flew from Lancaster, New York, to the Geneseo Airport (D52), the day of the accident. While at D52, the pilot purchased auto fuel from a local vendor to refuel his airplane, and used plastic containers to transport the fuel. After about 45 minutes of ground time at D52, the pilot and passenger boarded the airplane for the return trip to Lancaster. In the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the pilot stated that he performed a soft field takeoff at D52, and during the initial climb the engine lost power. He then observed trees and power lines at the end of the runway, and elected to attempt a landing to the left of the runway. The pilot further stated: ...Airplane proceeded to glide normally, then at approximately 100 feet, the nose of the aircraft dropped straight down and the aircraft plunged to the ground... In a written statement, a witness to the accident said: ...I heard an aircraft engine miss. I looked north towards the runway and saw a blue and white aircraft at about 100 feet. It's engine quit, and it turned and dived vertically to the left, hitting the ground. A Federal Aviation Administration Airworthiness Inspector examined the wreckage at the accident site. The Inspector's report stated that the airplane's three fuel tanks contained auto fuel, and the carburetor bowl contained water and sediment. The Inspector also examined the plastic containers used to transport the auto fuel to the airplane. His report stated, "...it appears the same sediments and water drained from the carburetor bowl were found in the plastic containers..."
The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, which failed to detect water-contaminated fuel which resulted in the loss of engine power. Also causal was the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during the forced landing, which resulted in the inadvertent stall/spin and collision with the terrain.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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