# Accident 20000826010609A: Amtr BG12BD, Tehachapi, CA, August 26, 2000 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: August 26, 2000, 16:00 local time - Place: Tehachapi, CA - Airport: Mountain Valley Airport - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Final Approach - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 35.1203° N, 118.5094° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.1203&lon=-118.5094&mi=10 - Aircraft: N4458, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4458-2001-05-07) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Homebuilt BG-12BD (registry code 05603P0, https://openairdocs.org/model/homebuilt-bg-12bd) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AMTR BG12BD - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 1 - Pilot flight hours: 75 total - NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX00LA312](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX00LA312) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000826010609A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) PILOT RETURNING TO MOUNTAIN VALLEY AIRPORT (L94), APPROX. 1 MILE NORTH OF AIRPORT, APPROACHING THE LANDING PATTERN FOR RUNWAY 27. AIRCRAFT AT HIGHER THAN USUAL ALTITUDE WITH A VERY FAST RATE OF SPEED FOR THIS APPROACH. AT THIS POINT & TIME, THE PILOT ATTEMPTS TO DEPLOY THE FLAPS (USED FOR SPEED BRAKES). L/H FLAP HINGES FAIL, FLAP RIPS AWAY FROM WING, REAR (WOOD) SPAR DAMAGED BY FLAP HINGE AND ASSY AND FAILS. L/H WING (WOOD) MAIN SPAR TWISTS AND FAILS FROM AERODYNAMIC LOADS, NEAR WING ATTACHMENT TO FUSELAGE AREA. AIRCRAFT GOES INTO A VERTICLE DIVE AND CRASHES INTO AN OPEN FARM FIELD APPROX. 4 MILE NORTH OF AIRPORT. (.4) ON AUGUST 26, 2000, ABOUT 1600 PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A CABLE-BREIGLER BG-12BD EXPERIMENTAL HOMEBUILT GLIDER, N4458, COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN WHEN A WING SEPARATED IN-FLIGHT WHILE RETURNING TO LAND AT THE MOUNTAIN VALLEY AIRPORT, TEHACHAPI, CALIFORNIA. THE OWNER WAS OPERATING THE GLIDER UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 91. THE PRIVATE PILOT SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES; THE GLIDER WAS DESTROYED. THE PERSONAL FLIGHT DEPARTED MOUNTAIN VALLEY ABOUT 1545. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BE EN FILED. WITNESSES TOLD THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) ACCIDENT COORDINATOR THAT THE GLIDER WAS RETURNING TO THE AIRPORT. IT WAS ABOUT 1 MILE NORTH OF THE AIRPORT AND ABOUT 2,000 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. IT APPEARED TO BE PREPARING TO ENTER DOWNWIND FOR THE LANDING PATTERN FOR RUNWAY 27. THE WITNESSES THOUGHT THE ALTITUDE WAS HIGHER THAN NORMAL FOR THIS APPROACH, AND THEY THOUGHT THE GLIDER'S SPEED WAS VERY FAST. THE WITNESSES HEARD A LOUD SNAP, AND THE LEFT WING AND FLAP SEPARATED FROM THE GLIDER. WITNESSES FAMILIAR WITH THIS TYPE OF GLIDER SAID IT DID NOT HAVE SPEED BRAKES; THEY SAID THE FLAPS WERE USED TO SLOW IT DOWN. THEY SAID THE FLAPS APPEARED TO BE ACTIVATED WHEN THE LEFT FLAP AND WING SEPARATED. THE WING WAS LOCATED ABOUT 0.25 MILES FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE AND THE FLAP WAS ABOUT 300 FEET FROM THE WING. THE ACCIDENT COORDINATOR EXAMINED THE WING. THREE HINGES, ATTACHED BY THREE SCREWS ON EACH HINGE, CONNECTED THE FLAP TO THE WING. THE OUTBOARD HINGE REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE WING. ONE SCREW ON THE OUTBOARD HINGE PULLED OUT OF THE FLAP; TWO OTHER SCREWS SHEARED THROUGH THE HINGE MATERIAL. THE FLAP CONTROL ASSEMBLY RIPPED OUT OF THE LEFT WING. A SECTION OF THE REAR SPAR FRACTURED AND SEPARATED FROM THE WING. THE LEFT WING SPAR FRACTURE SURFACE EXHIBITED TWISTING CHARACTERISTICS. THE FLAP AND REMAINING TWO HINGES WERE RECOVERED THE NEXT DAY. THE ACCIDENT COORDINATOR HAD THE OWNER OF A SOARING FACILITY EXAMINE THE FLAP AND SUMMARIZED THE OBSERVATIONS. THE INBOARD HINGE REMAINED CONNECTED TO THE FLAP AND THE SCREWS PULLED OUT OF THE AFT WING SPAR. THE CENTER HINGE SCREWS PULLED THROUGH THE HINGE HOLES. ## 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 LAX00LA312](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX00LA312), Aug 26, 2000: Cable-Breigler BG-12BD (N4458), Tehachapi, CA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot exceeded the airspeed limit for operation of the flaps resulting in flap and wing overload and separation. 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.