| Crash location | 35.990833°N, 118.497500°W
Reported location is a long distance from the NTSB's reported nearest city. This often means that the location has a typo, or is incorrect. |
| Nearest city | Kernville, CA
35.754673°N, 118.425363°W 16.8 miles away |
| Tail number | N830AZ |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 14 Apr 2018 |
| Aircraft type | ZEISMER Zenith |
| Additional details: | None |
On April 14, 2018, about 1300 Pacific daylight time, an experimental Zeismer Zenith CH-750 STOL airplane, N830AZ, experienced a total loss of engine power while in cruise flight about 15 miles north of Kern Valley Airport, Kernville, California. The sport pilot received minor injuries during the forced landing; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The personal cross-country flight originated from Brian Ranch Airport, Palmdale California, at an unknown time, and was destined for Tehachapi Municipal Airport, Tehachapi, California
The pilot stated that earlier in the day he had departed from his home airport in Corona, California as a flight of three. The airplane landed in Palmdale and then continued north to sightsee around Isabella Lake. While in cruise flight, about 7,500 ft mean sea level (msl), the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine to no avail. He opted to turn to the north because the terrain was more conducive for an emergency landing. He landed in the southern portion of the Sequoia National Forest. As a result of the impact, the airplane nosed over inverted.
At the time of the engine failure, the airplane had a total of about 12.5 gallons of fuel on board. The wreckage was retained for a future examination.