Amateur-built SUPER STALLION accident near Shafter, California, April 30, 1999
On April 30, 1999 at about 5:00 pm local time, a amateur-built SUPER STALLION, registered N6143E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Shafter, California (Shafter-Minter airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to attempt a landing with insufficient runway remaining to stop the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 1999 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Shafter, California · Shafter-Minter · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SUPER STALLION SUPER STAL
- Registration
- N6143E · no longer on the register · serial 021
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was on its third test flight since completion. Ground crews observing the airplane during takeoff thought a landing gear door did not close properly and requested a fly-by for a visual inspection. Although instructed several times that a low pass was not necessary, the pilot stated his intention to do a low pass. The pilot stated he was 400 feet above the ground at 140 knots when he turned onto final, and then the engine quit prior to crossing the approach end of the runway. He attempted to restart the engine by turning on the electric fuel pump and moving the throttle and mixture controls in and out, but was unsuccessful. He lowered the landing gear and attempted to land straight ahead. He touched down near the far end of the runway at 100 knots, then proceeded off the end of the runway into a fence. Witnesses heard the engine at a normal high power setting until an abrupt reduction and a pop sound occurred just as the landing gear was lowered. The factory new engine was found with fuel through the system from the tanks to the mechanical fuel pump, and the fuel tank vent line was open. When the engine was subsequently tested, it started without difficulty. During a run-up, the magnetos were checked and the propeller was cycled. All engine parameters were within the manufacturer's recommended limits.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 4,940 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 27, 1999; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-550-E2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MIT at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 2,980 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 pm from MIT
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.