At about 15:10 Pacific time, a Cessna 140 landed short of the runway after losing engine power on final approach to Bakersfield Municipal Airport. The airplane collided with the airport boundary fence and nosed over, leaving the pilot and passenger with minor injuries. The pilot said he flew from Corcoran to Joshua Tree in the morning to pick up a passenger. He departed Corcoran with full fuel tanks, and planned to refuel at Bakersfield on the return trip. He did a solo takeoff at Joshua Tree to evaluate the airplanes performance prior to departing with the passenger aboard. About 25 miles from Bakersfield the engine stopped producing power. The pilot moved the fuel selector valve to the other tank, and the engine began producing power. He continued to Bakersfield and prepared to land on a straight-in approach to runway 34. The engine stopped producing power on final approach.
Dec. 23, Bakersfield, Calif. / Cessna 140
At about 15:10 Pacific time, a Cessna 140 landed short of the runway after losing engine power on final approach to Bakersfield Municipal Airport. The airplane collided with the airport boundary fence and nosed over, leaving the pilot and passenger with minor injuries. The pilot said he flew from Corcoran to Joshua Tree in the morning to pick up a passenger. He departed Corcoran with full fuel tanks, and planned to refuel at Bakersfield on the return trip. He did a solo takeoff at Joshua Tree to evaluate the airplanes performance prior to departing with the passenger aboard. About 25 miles from Bakersfield the engine stopped producing power. The pilot moved the fuel selector valve to the ot...
Key Takeaways:
- A Cessna 140 crash-landed short of the runway at Bakersfield Municipal Airport after losing engine power on final approach, resulting in minor injuries to the pilot and passenger.
- The engine had previously lost power en route but was temporarily restored when the pilot switched fuel tanks, only to fail a second time on the final approach to a planned refueling stop.
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