- Date
- November 24, 2021, 10:20 local (18:20 UTC)
- Place
- New Cuyama, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N29508Taylorcraft BL-65
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Security/criminal event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20211124019909A
- Case key
- 104325
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to intentionally crash the airplane.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that the airplane’s engine lost power during cruise flight over mountainous terrain. He stated that after determining that there were no available emergency landing spots, he decided to bail out. The airplane was destroyed during the impact sequence, and the pilot sustained minor injuries as a result of the parachute jump. Shortly after the accident, the pilot provided a statement regarding the circumstances to the NTSB and FAA, and in a series of correspondences later stated that he had not been able to locate the airplane wreckage. However, evidence gathered by the NTSB and FAA indicated that the pilot had recovered the airplane from the accident site, destroyed it, and then disposed of the remains. The case was referred to the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, and in May 2023, the pilot admitted to the US Attorney’s Office that he both intentionally crashed the airplane, and destroyed the evidence. He plead guilty to a felony charge for obstructing a federal investigation by deliberately destroying the airplane wreckage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N29508
- Reported as
- Taylorcraft BL-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2351
- Built
- 1940
- Airframe hours
- 2,533
- Engine
- Lycoming O-145B SERIES, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 18, 2016 · 0.5 hours before
- Departed
- LPC · Lompoc, CA
- Destination
- MMH · Mammoth Lakes, CA
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 16, 2020
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 166 total · 5.5 in this make and model · 166 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- KIZA, 14 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KIZA 241815Z AUTO 24004KT 10SM CLR 13/04 A3010 RMK AO2=
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 17, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 21.5 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.