History of Flight
On November 28, 2012, about 1057 Central Standard Time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D, registration N94973, struck power lines while on approach to an unimproved airstrip near the intersection of 245th Street and R Avenue in Clutier, Iowa. The pilot, who was the registered owner and operator, was conducting a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight had originated from Traer Municipal Airport (K8C6) in Traer, Iowa, at an undetermined time.
Witnesses reported seeing the airplane flying very slow at treetop level. It flew west, then turned south. The witnesses believed it was not high enough to clear a hill, and the airplane then disappeared from their line of sight. They subsequently heard the crash and saw smoke.
Federal Aviation Administration inspectors were informed by the Tama County Sheriff’s Office that the airplane was on approach to an unimproved airstrip. The passenger told first responders they were “attempting to land.” The passenger later told his son they “never saw the wires.” The pilot had previously flown into this airstrip but had not done so recently. At the time the field was used as an airstrip, power lines were buried underground along the approach end of the runway; however, the lines had recently been strung up on power poles. It could not be determined if the pilot was aware of the raised power lines.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 69, held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. His third-class airman medical certificate, issued June 19, 2001, was expired and contained a restriction for corrective lenses. At that time, he reported approximately 700 total flight hours. The Taylorcraft BC12-D is defined by the FAA as a light sport aircraft (LSA). Pilots flying LSAs are required only to possess a valid driver's license and comply with 14 CFR 61.53(b), which prohibits acting as pilot in command if aware of any medical condition that would prevent safe operation.
Aircraft Information
N94973, serial number 9373, was a 1946 Taylorcraft BC-12D, a two-place, high-wing monoplane with a welded steel tube fuselage covered in fabric. Wings used braced steel tube struts. It was powered by a Continental C-65-8 engine rated at 65 horsepower, driving a Sensenich two-blade, fixed-pitch wooden propeller. The aircraft's gross weight was 1,200 pounds.
Meteorological Information
At 1053, the Marshalltown, Iowa, ASOS (about 26 miles west of Clutier) reported wind from 220 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear sky, temperature 1°C, dew point -4°C, and altimeter 30.39 inches of mercury.
Aerodrome Information
The unimproved airstrip had one runway aligned on a magnetic heading of 136 degrees, approximately 1,760 feet long and 105 feet wide, with a field elevation of 999 feet mean sea level.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was located near the runway threshold at 42°05.159' N, 092°26.527' W. The nose of the airplane was aligned on a magnetic heading of 261 degrees. Four severed strands of electrical transmission cables extended from the west utility pole to the airplane, wrapped around the landing gear, engine, and passenger cabin. Fire consumed much of the fabric covering back to the empennage, as well as both wings.
According to the Grundy County Rural Electric Cooperative, the power outage occurred at 10:57:06. Four wires were severed, interrupting power to 300 residents. The wires were type 000 ACSR, transmitting 12,500 volts, and were not marked with orange balls.
Medical and Pathological Information
The passenger succumbed to injuries on January 6, 2013; because more than 30 days had elapsed, his injuries did not meet the definition of “fatal injury” per 49 CFR Part 830.2. The pilot's autopsy attributed death to thermal and blunt force injuries. The autopsy also noted severe hypertensive and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Toxicology revealed amlodipine, carbamazepine, chlorthalidone, glipizide, losartan, and rosuvastatin. The NTSB medical officer reported that amlodipine, chlorthalidone, and losartan treat hypertension; glipizide treats diabetes; rosuvastatin treats high cholesterol; carbamazepine is used for seizures, bipolar disease, and migraine prevention. The pilot's medical records showed diagnoses of hypertension (reported to FAA as controlled), diabetes, high cholesterol, prostate cancer in remission, peripheral vascular disease, and bipolar disease with two psychiatric hospitalizations in the year before the crash. No diagnosis of cardiac disease was found in the records.