Piper PA 22-150 accident near Kernville, CA
On April 21, 2017, a Piper PA 22-150 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Kernville, CA. 3 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 21, 2017
- Place
- Kernville, CA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 22-150 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 3 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 35.709°N, 118.422°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170421X03812
Official records · WPR17LA088
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
**This report was modified on 2/23/2022. Please refer to the public docket for this accident to view the original report.** On April 20, 2017, about 1845 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-22-150 airplane, N9975D, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Kern Valley Airport (L05), Kernville, California. The pilot and two passengers were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that, shortly after takeoff, during which he applied full throttle, and when the airplane was about 100 ft above ground level (agl) or less and with the usable runway behind the airplane, he noticed that the engine power was decreasing, and that the airplane was not climbing as expected. He checked the throttle and mixture control, and both were full forward, and he checked the fuel selector, and magnetos, and both were positioned to the “both” setting, but the airplane continued to lose altitude. He realized that the engine was not producing sufficient power to climb to or maintain 75 ft agl and added that he maintained a “high deck angle” because he was” trying to maintain lift without stalling.” He then quickly turned toward an open, sandy spot for an emergency landing as the airplane continued to lose altitude. During the turn, the main landing gear wheels clipped a tree right before the small clearing, followed by the airplane nosing over inverted. The two passengers reported that the airplane departed midfield with a “very high angle of attack,” which did not fluctuate even during t
Probable cause
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/mush.
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Browse: California · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
