Bellanca BL-14-13 N74476

Summary

On 7 June 1999 at about 17:15 local time, a Bellanca BL-14-13 registered N74476 was involved in an accident near Taft, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 June 1999 at 17:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Taft, California, United States

Nearest airport

Taft-Kern County (L17)

Coordinates

35.1590, -119.4301

Aircraft

Bellanca BL-14-13

Registration

N74476

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX99LA210

Nobody was injured.

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.