| Crash location | 42.266667°N, 84.716667°W |
| Nearest city | Albion, MI
42.243097°N, 84.753030°W 2.5 miles away |
| Tail number | N5066M |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 17 Nov 2002 |
| Aircraft type | Taylorcraft BC12-D |
| Additional details: | None |
On November 17, 2002, at 1545 eastern standard time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D, N5066M, owned and piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain following an inadvertant stall/spin while maneuvering. The accident occurred approximately 2 miles east of Albion, Michigan. The local flight originated at 1530 est from a private airstrip, located approximately 3 miles northeast of Albion, Michigan. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 and was not on a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot reported minor injuries and the single passenger on-board reported no injuries.
In his written statement, the pilot reported making several patterns in the local area at altitudes of 500 to 800 feet agl for the purpose of spotting deer. After the last pass, which was approximately 500 feet agl, the pilot stated that he entered a left turn and inadvertently stalled the airplane. As the airplane began to enter a spin, he notes that he "took corrective action to regain control of the aircraft." Although the pilot reported recovering from the stall/spin, he was unable to arrest the resulting descent. He stated "As I leveled out the plane from the spin, we went into the thick brush." The airplane impacted a soft, muddy area in a relatively level attitude and slid approximately 20 feet before coming to a rest.
A failure by the pilot to maintain sufficient airspeed while maneuvering. Contributing factors were the resulting stall/spin, the relatively low altitude and the soft terrain encountered.