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ANC23LA077

2023-09-12 · Palmer, Alaska, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N95250

Make / Model
TAYLORCRAFT BC12-D
Year of manufacture
1946 · 77 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR A&C65 SERIES (65 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19551110
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AD3F35

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall; loss of airplane control; and impact with terrain.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, while attempting to climb and turn out of a narrow valley in an area of mountainous terrain, the airplane’s control inputs felt sluggish. Realizing that the airplane might stall, the pilot stopped the turn to avoid a stall but continued to climb to avoid rising terrain ahead. Subsequently, the airplane stalled and impacted terrain, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Aircraft capability-Climb capability-Attain/maintain not possible
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Capability exceeded

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_ANC23LA077.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). All research papers