Bellanca BL-14-13 accident near Taft, California, June 7, 1999
On June 7, 1999 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Bellanca BL-14-13, registered N74476, was destroyed in an accident near Taft, California (Taft-Kern County 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 inability to maintain control of the aircraft due to the aileron control cables being crossed and reversed. The pilot's lack of a thorough pre-flight inspection and the pilot not referencing a manual during the repairs on the aircraft is also causal.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 7, 1999 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Taft, California · Taft-Kern County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca BL-14-13
- Registration
- N74476 · no longer on the register · serial 1615
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft had just come out of major repair and restoration by the pilot, with the supervision of an airframe and powerplant mechanic, and this was the first flight since the repairs. The pilot stated that he did not reference a manual when making any of the repairs. The pilot did a brief preflight inspection, which only included checking the flight controls for movement, not to verify their correct movement. After departure, about 30 feet agl, the aircraft rolled left, the pilot applied right control inputs, but the left bank angle increased. The left wing tip struck the ground and the aircraft cartwheeled once, coming to a rest 50 feet from the runway. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector examined the aircraft and found the aileron control cables to be crossed and reversed. When interviewed by the FAA inspector, the pilot stated that the aircraft had been examined by the mechanic, but following the inspection, the pilot had made further repairs to the control system without the mechanic's knowledge.
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: 2,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 2,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 3, 1990; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,270 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Franklin 6A4-150-B3 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: L17 at 5:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 3,550 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from BFL, 26 miles away
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.