Bede Aircraft BD-5B accident near Mojave, California, January 17, 1982
On January 17, 1982 at about 4:16 pm local time, a Bede Aircraft BD-5B, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N381JH, was destroyed in an accident near Mojave, California (Mojane airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 17, 1982 · about 4:16 pm local time
- Place
- Mojave, California · Mojane · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bede Aircraft BD-5B, amateur-built
- Registration
- N381JH · no longer on the register · serial 3553
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF THE AMATEUR BUILT BEDE-5 ENTERED LEFT TRAFFIC AND CIRCLED THE AIRPORT ONCE AT 700 TO 1000 FEET AGL. DURING THE SECOND 180 DEGREE TURN FROM THE DOWNWIND LEG TO THE RUNWAY HEADING A WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE BANK ANGLE SUDDENLY INCREASED AND THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT DROPPED RESULTING IN A NEARLY VERTICAL DESCENT TO THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 1/4 MILE SHORT OF RUNWAY 07. EXAMINATION OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS AND ATTACHMENTS REVEALED NO SIGNS OF PREIMPACT DISCREPANCIES OR MALFUNCTIONS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,855 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 1,680 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,625 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Kawasaki 1000CC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MHV Mojave CA at 8:10 am
- Destination: MHV Mojave CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 5,920 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.