Amateur-built G1 accident near Tehachapi, California, November 16, 1998
On November 16, 1998 at about 4:45 pm local time, a amateur-built G1, registered N6349T, was destroyed in an accident near Tehachapi, California (Tehachapi Municipal 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 failure of the pilot to maintain sufficient airspeed, which resulted in the aircraft entering a stall/mush flight condition that continued to impact. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of familiarity with the type of aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 16, 1998 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Tehachapi, California · Tehachapi Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built G1
- Registration
- N6349T · no longer on the register · serial G-1928J33
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the accident occurred on the first flight of the experimental aircraft following a 2.5-year restoration. The climb performance was poor after takeoff and, after several shallow banked turns, he returned to the airport. He recalled that while approaching the airport he looked inside the cockpit and when he looked back outside 'the aircraft was going down.' The pilot reported having no prior flight experience in this type aircraft and there were no mechanical malfunctions of the aircraft. A sheriff's deputy told the Safety Board investigator that, at the accident scene, the pilot told her he had 'stalled the plane out.'
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: 1,450 hours in all; 51 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 1,450 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 340 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 16, 1998; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 4,035 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.