Cessna 182F accident near Bakersfield, California, October 1, 2007
On October 1, 2007 at about 1:25 am local time, a Cessna 182F, registered N3580Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bakersfield, California (Meadown Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and pretakeoff checks during which he failed to remove the gust lock.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 1, 2007 · about 1:25 am local time
- Place
- Bakersfield, California · Meadown Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182F · all 182Fs on the register
- Registration
- N3580Y · no longer on the register · serial 18254480
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane porpoised on the runway while decelerating during a rejected takeoff. The pilot did not have the Cessna issued gust lock that fits into the hole in the control yoke. Therefore, he placed a machine bolt into the hole to keep the flight controls steady while he washed his airplane. During the pilot's subsequent preflight and pretakeoff check he failed to observe that movement of the flight controls was restricted. During takeoff, as the airplane became airborne, the bolt's presence was discovered, and the pilot retarded the throttle. The airplane contacted the runway in a nose low attitude and porpoised, thereby bending the firewall and fuselage.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 127 hours in all; 54 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BFL Bakersfield CA at 1:25 am
- Destination: DLO Delano CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30L, 3,700 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:55 am from KBFL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.