Amateur-built MIDGET MUSTANG accident near Kernville, California, September 27, 1990
On September 27, 1990 at about 2:30 pm local time, a amateur-built MIDGET MUSTANG, registered N7148B, was destroyed in an accident near Kernville, California (Kern Valley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AN AIRSPEED SUFFICIENT TO SUSTAIN FLIGHT DURING LANDING. A FACTOR WAS THE PILOT'S LACK OF EXPEREINCE IN THIS AIRCRAFT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 1990 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Kernville, California · Kern Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MIDGET MUSTANG MIDGET MUS
- Registration
- N7148B · registry record · serial RHB-5
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OF THE HOMEBUILT WAS ON HIS FIRST FLIGHT IN THIS AIRCRAFT AND STATED HE DIDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE FIRST APPROACH AND MADE A GO AROUND. ON THE SECOND APPROACH HE ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO GET TOO SLOW AND IT STALLED AND CRASHED ONTO THE RUNWAY. HE REPORTED NO MECHANICAL 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all; 25 in the last 90 days; 2,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 27, 1990; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°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.