# Accident 20020111000099A: Piper PA22108, Tehachapi, CA, January 11, 2002

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 11, 2002, 13:20 local time
- Place: Tehachapi, CA
- Airport: Tehachapi Municipal Airport
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.1353° N, 118.4397° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.1353&lon=-118.4397&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4895Z, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4895Z-2003-12-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-22-108 (registry code 7102204, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-22-108) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-235 series (registry code 41505, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA22108
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX02LA064](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX02LA064) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020111000099A

## Narrative

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

(.19) ON JANUARY 11, 2002, AT 1320 HOURS PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, A PIPER PA22-108, N4895Z, COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN A FIELD NEAR TEHACHAPI, CALIFORNIA, DURING THE TAKEOFF INITIAL CLIMB. THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED, AND THE PILOT AND PASSENGER RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE LOCAL AREA PERSONAL FLIGHT OPERATING UNDER 14 CFR PART 91, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED ABOUT 1310 FROM THE TEHACHAPI MUNICIPAL AIRPORT RUNWAY 29, LOCATED AT 3,993 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL). ACCORDING TO A SHERIFF'S DEPUTY, WHO WITNESSED THE ACCIDENT, THE AIRPLANE BARELY CLEARED POWER LINES DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB. THE AIRPLANE PERFORMED TWO 360-DEGREE TURNS AND STALLED, IMPACTING IN A FIELD ABOUT 4,200 MSL. THE FUEL TANKS WERE DETERMINED TO BE FULL AT THE TIME OF DEPARTURE, ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION INSPECTOR. (-23) PILOT DEPARTS FORTUNA AIRPORT, EUREKA, CA AT APPROX. 0500 HRS./PST AND STOPS AT TEHACHAPI MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (TSP) FOR FUEL AT APPROX. 1330 HRS/PST. PILOT STATED THE HE PERFORMED AN AIRCRAFT PRE-FLIGHT INSPECTION FROM MEMORY WITHOUT A CHECKLIST. PILOT STATED THAT HE PERFORMED AN ENGINE RUN-UP &    MAGNETO CHECK PRIOR TO TAKE-OFF - OK, AND DID NOT LOOK AT THE TACHOMETER GAGE FOR RPM READING. ON TAKE-OFF: POOR CLIMB-OUT, BARELY CLEARED POWER LINES LOCATED 1/2 MILE AFTER TAKE-OFF, AIRCRAFT DOESN'T CLIMB, AND HAS A DECREASING SPEED. PILOT CIRCLES OPEN FIELD AREA ATTEMPTING TO GAIN ALTITUDE, WHILE AIRSPEED DECREASES, AIRCRAFT STALLS AND CRASHES. THE KERN COUNTY SHERIFF, DEPUTY DUGAN, FINDS A 1 LITER SPRING WATER BOTTLE FILLED WITH AN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE SMELL, PILOT CONFIRMS IT IS VODKA. PILOT'S BLOOD ALCOHOL TESTED WITH BREATH ANALYZER & BLOOD SAMPLE TESTS, BOTH SHOW .056% BY WEIGHT. (REF: FAR 91.17(A)(4) .04% BY WEIGHT IS MAX).

## 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 LAX02LA064](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX02LA064), Jan 11, 2002: Piper PA-22-108 (N4895Z), Tehachapi, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering in an attempt to gain altitude, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush. The high density altitude was a factor in the…

## Other reports on N4895Z (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19930315011099I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19930315011099I), Mar 15, 1993: Piper PA22108 (N4895Z), Honolulu, HI, Minor damage. Aircraft ground looped on landing rollout. Had a crosswind.

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.

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