# Accident 19981116031579A: Kellet G1B, Tehachapi, CA, November 16, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 16, 1998, 08:45 local time
- Place: Tehachapi, CA
- Airport: Tehachapi Municipal Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.1191° N, 118.5106° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.1191&lon=-118.5106&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6349T, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6349T-2000-04-03) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: OLD Hen Crow G1 (registry code 0560134, https://openairdocs.org/model/old-hen-crow-g1) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: KELLET G1B
- Reported engine: CONT A65*
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,450 total, 51 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX99LA033](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99LA033) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981116031579A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ACFT STRUCK POWER LINES AND CRASHED INTO A FIELD(.19) ON NOVEMBER 16, 1998, AT 0845 HOURS PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, AN EXPERIMENTAL OLD HEN CROW G1, N6349T, WAS DESTROYED WHEN THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK POWER TRANSMISSION LINES AND CRASHED ON TAKEOFF FROM THE TEHACAPI, CALIFORNIA, MUNICIPAL AIRPORT. THE PRIVATE PILOT RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT. (.4) ON NOVEMBER 16, 1998, AT 0845 HOURS PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, AN EXPERIMENTAL THE OLD HEN CROW G1, N6349T, WAS DESTROYED WHEN THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK POWER TRANSMISSION LINES AND CRASHED WHILE APPROACHING TO LAND AT THE TEHACHAPI, CALIFORNIA, MUNICIPAL AIRPORT. THE PRIVATE PILOT RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT OPERATING UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 91 AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT FOLLOWING A 2.5-YEAR RESTORATION. HE REPORTED THAT THE CLIMB PERFORMANCE WAS POOR AFTER TAKEOFF AND, AFTER MAKING SEVERAL SHALLOW BANKED TURNS, HE RETURNED TO THE AIRPORT. HE RECALLED THAT WHILE ON DOWNWIND LEG FOR RUNWAY 11 HE LOOKED INSIDE THE COCKPIT AND WHEN   HE LOOKED BACK OUTSIDE "THE AIRCRAFT WAS GOING DOWN." THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT IN A SPIN. THE PILOT REPORTED HAVING NO PRIOR FLIGHT EXPERIENCE IN THIS TYPE AIRCRAFT AND THAT THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS OF THE AIRCRAFT. A KERN COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY, WHO RESPONDED TO THE SCENE, TOLD THE SAFETY BOARD INVESTIGATOR THAT, AT THE ACCIDENT SCENE, THE PILOT TOLD HER HE HAD "STALLED THE PLANE OUT."

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX99LA033](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99LA033), Nov 16, 1998: Old Hen Crow G1 (N6349T), Tehachapi, CA, destroyed. Probable cause: The failure of the pilot to maintain sufficient airspeed, which resulted in the aircraft entering a stall/mush flight condition that continued to impact. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.
