Bede BD5 accident near Camarillo, California, October 8, 2019
On October 8, 2019 at about 7:29 pm local time, a 1998 Bede BD5, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N501BD, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern downwind) near Camarillo, California (Camarillo 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 No. 4 connecting rod’s bearing shift and separation of the No. 4 connecting rod, which resulted in a total loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 2019 · about 7:29 pm local time
- Place
- Camarillo, California · Camarillo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bede BD5 B, built 1998, amateur-built
- Registration
- N501BD · registry record · serial 1039
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed in the experimental, amateur-built airplane and remained in the airport traffic pattern. The tower controller noticed that the airplane was low on the downwind leg and asked the pilot if he could climb. The pilot responded that he was having issues climbing and would need to stay at that altitude. The pilot also stated that he would need to make a full-stop landing. The pilot was cleared to land, and, shortly thereafter, the airplane was observed in a rapid descent. Several witnesses located near the accident site reported that the airplane was low before it descended rapidly toward the ground. One witness stated that the propeller was not moving. The airplane impacted a lettuce field about 3/4 mile south of the airport and immediately nosed over. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the connecting rod bearing, and endcap had separated from the crankshaft. Engine disassembly revealed that the engine’s oil galleys and the No. 4 connecting rod journal’s oil galley were not obstructed. The section of the rod end cap with the bearing tang insert had mechanical damage consistent with bearing shift. The bearing shift likely led to the No. 4 rod bearing and endcaps to separate and resulted in a total loss of engine power.
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 (total) during approach (VFR pattern downwind) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Effect on equipment
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip engine power section › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,700 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Amateur/Experimental Unknown (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CMA Camarillo CA at 7:23 pm
- Destination: CMA Camarillo CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 6,013 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from KCMA, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on December 7, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weather | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Coversation | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Accident Site Examination | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Airframe and Engine Examination | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Record of Email | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N501BD 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.