History of Flight
On July 17, 2013, at 0802 eastern daylight time, a Taylorcraft BC12-65 airplane, registration N36466, impacted a wooded area approximately 0.43 miles east-southeast of the approach end of runway 27 while approaching to land at Dalton Airport (3DA), Flushing, Michigan. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight, originating from 3DA at 0750. The flight instructor and student pilot were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. Security video from two ground-based sources captured portions of the accident flight. The first source showed the airplane's taxi and departure, a low pass over runway 27, and parts of the approach. The second video showed the airplane entering a nose-high left turn at a moderate bank angle, which then steepened as the airplane pitched down before leaving the frame. This occurred near the position where a traffic pattern turn from base leg to final approach for runway 27 would have been made.
Personnel Information
The flight instructor, aged 82, held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land, single-engine seaplane, multiengine land, instrument airplane, and glider ratings, as well as a flight instructor certificate with single-engine airplane and instrument airplane ratings. He possessed a second-class medical certificate with a corrective lenses restriction, issued on May 8, 2012. He had logged approximately 9,853.6 hours of total flight time, including 245.6 hours in the previous year (221.6 hours of instruction given and 83.6 hours in the accident airplane). His logbook contained a flight review endorsement dated May 19, 2012. The student pilot had not yet obtained a student pilot certificate or medical certificate. According to the instructor's logbook, the student's first training flight occurred on June 25, 2013, and he had accumulated 6.7 hours of flight time before the accident.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was a Taylorcraft model BC12-65, serial number 3288, featuring a two-place, high-wing, single-engine design with conventional (taildragger) landing gear. Its construction included a welded steel tube fuselage and tail surfaces, wood wings, and fabric covering. The aircraft was powered by a 65-horsepower Continental Motors A-65-8 four-cylinder reciprocating engine (serial number 4964668). The airframe had accumulated 4,278.7 total hours in service, while the engine had 2,476.7 total hours and 1,245.7 hours since its most recent overhaul. The most recent annual inspection was completed on May 31, 2013, at 4,241.59 airframe hours.
Meteorological Information
Weather conditions recorded at 0753 by the Bishop International Airport (FNT) Automated Weather Observing System, about 6 miles southeast of the accident site, included wind from 240 degrees at 4 knots, visibility 8 miles, clear skies, temperature 26°C, dew point 22°C, and altimeter 30.29 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest with its tail nearly vertical in a wooded area 0.43 miles east-southeast of the approach end of runway 27. The tail surfaces and fuselage aft of the cabin were undamaged, while the engine and forward fuselage were pushed rearward. The left wing remained largely intact with rearward crushing of the outboard leading edge; the left aileron remained attached. The right wing was broken at about mid-span with rearward crushing along its leading edge. The header fuel tank was split open, and the wing fuel tanks contained no fuel. On-scene examination of the control system revealed several cables cut during victim extraction, but otherwise the cabling was intact from cockpit controls to control surfaces. The engine was examined post-removal: the propeller flange was bent rearward, and mounting bolts prevented crankshaft rotation until removed, after which the crankshaft rotated freely. Compression and suction were verified on all cylinders, valve train and accessory gear continuity were confirmed. Magnetos exhibited impact damage and did not produce spark; disassembly revealed displacement of an ignition coil in one and fracturing of the point insulator block in the other, consistent with impact. The carburetor mounting flange had separated; the throttle plate moved freely, the bowl was clean with no debris, and the float and needle operated without anomalies. The carburetor inlet screen had minimal debris and was not obstructed. No preimpact anomalies that would have prevented normal operation were detected.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies performed on both the flight instructor and the student pilot attributed the cause of death to multiple blunt force injuries. Toxicology testing for both individuals was negative for all substances in the screening profile.