N43373

On June 12, 1999, about 1930 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Taylorcraft BC-12 airplane, N43373, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing after takeoff from the Summit Airport, a private airport located about six miles southwest of Cantwell, Alaska, about latitude 63 degrees, 19.89 minutes north, and longitude 149 degrees, 07.64 degrees west. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight to the Lake Hood Strip, Anchorage, Alaska, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight was the continuation of a cross-country flight that originated at the Fairbanks International Airport, Fairbanks, Alaska, about 1800.

During an interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on June 14, 1999, the pilot reported that when he departed Fairbanks, the airplane's engine was running fine. He landed at the Summit Airport for a rest. Upon departure from runway 21, the engine power began to decrease, varying from full power to almost none. His application of carburetor heat produced no change. He said the engine was not running rough or sputtering, but was not producing enough power to climb above about 100 feet. He made a gentle bank to the left, gradually losing altitude. He performed an emergency landing on soft, tundra-covered terrain about 3/4 mile southwest of the airport. During the landing, the landing gear was sheared off, the wing lift struts were bent, and the left wing was bent at the inboard end.

In the Pilot/Operator report (NTSB form 6120.1/2) completed by the pilot, he indicated that he always filtered his fuel through a chamois. Prior to his departure from Fairbanks, he did not find any water in the fuel when he sumped his fuel tanks.

Following the accident, the airplane was recovered and transported to a private residence in Big Lake, Alaska. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector, Anchorage Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), inspected the airplane at the residence on July 1, 1999. The inspector reported the carburetor control cables were attached, and operated normally. Fuel was present in the carburetor bowl, and in the lines to the carburetor. About four to five gallons of fuel was present in the header tank. Engine gear train continuity was established. The air filter was unobstructed.