Amateur-built BOWERS FLY BABY 1A accident near Mariposa, California, April 11, 2014
On April 11, 2014 at about 5:07 pm local time, a 2006 amateur-built BOWERS FLY BABY 1A, registered N6054Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Mariposa, California (Mariposa-Yosemite 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 partial loss of engine power due to an improperly maintained carburetor and the pilot's subsequent failure to maintain aircraft control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 11, 2014 · about 5:07 pm local time
- Place
- Mariposa, California · Mariposa-Yosemite · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BOWERS FLY BABY 1A, built 2006
- Registration
- N6054Q · no longer on the register · serial 1068
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The plans-built single-seat airplane had been constructed about 8 years before the accident by another individual, who had flown it about 30 hours before it was purchased by the current owner/pilot. In the year since the purchase, due to the low build-quality of the airplane, the pilot had made several modifications and repairs to the airplane. The accident flight was the pilot's fifth flight in the airplane. Review of the pilot's flight logbook indicated that his most recent flight review occurred about 7 years before the accident and that he had flown only 15 hours in the 2 years before the accident. A witness reported that shortly after takeoff, when the airplane was about 3 miles from the airport, the engine began making a sound as if power was intermittently being interrupted. The nose of the airplane began to pitch up aggressively as it flew out of view. The wreckage location, wreckage distribution, and impact signatures indicated that the airplane struck the ground in a steep nose-low attitude, consistent with an aerodynamic stall event. Postaccident examination of the carburetor revealed multiple maintenance-related discrepancies, any one of which could have resulted in the loss of engine power. Additionally, before the accident, the pilot reported to a friend that the airspeed indicator was not reliable and that the airplane exhibited roll control anomalies. Both of these conditions would have hindered the pilot's ability to safely operate the airplane.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during enroute (cruise)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel control/carburetor › Incorrect service/maintenance
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Training › Recurrent instruct/training › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 3 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 3, 2007
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 32.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 3, 2014; 2.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 925 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65-8 (piston); 432 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MPI Mariposa CA at 4:50 pm
- Destination: MPI Mariposa CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 5:15 pm from KO22, 36 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N6054Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.