Delano Municipal Airport, Delano, CA

Location: The Delano Municipal Airport is located 2 miles south east of Delano, California.

History:  The Delano Municipal Airport was opened in 1940, and saw little military use during World War II.  The City of Delano took ownership from Kern County in 1973 and has continued development of the site with various industrial and aviation related services.

Delano Municipal Airport Today:  Obstructions reported; Smoke stacks; Telephone tower; Aerobatics; Agricultural operations; Helicopter operations;



Airport Services and Amenities:  Hangars; Tie downs; Public transportation; Shuttle bus; Taxis and rental cars; Restaurant on the field; El Delfin; Lodging within 2 miles; San Juaquin Helicopters;

Special Events and Attractions:  Golf; Lake Woolomes; Memorial Park;

Airport Area Accident History:

Accident occurred Monday, August 01, 2005 in Delano, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 2/26/2007
Aircraft: Malechek Q-200, registration: N870BM
Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Minor.
A propeller blade separated while the airplane was cruising at 9,500 feet mean sea level. The pilot then experienced a severe vibration and he shutoff the engine. During the ensuing forced landing, the airplane impacted objects short of the runway and came to rest inverted. A subsequent examination of the wood propeller revealed that it had separated at glue joints and delaminated. The pilot had torqued the propeller's attachment bolts to the 18-foot-pound value placarded on the propeller. The previous owner of the airplane had recommended torquing the bolts to 15-foot-pounds. A hair-line crack was found emanating from one of the propeller's attachment bolt holes. The FAA coordinator reported that the attachment bolt torquing sequence for the experimental airplane's propeller was not specified by the manufacturer.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

the in-flight delamination and separation of a propeller blade for undetermined reasons.

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Accident occurred Monday, July 02, 2001 in Delano, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 10/24/2002
Aircraft: Cessna 150 Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The aircraft collided with grapevines and supporting trellises during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. According to the pilot, his passenger fueled the airplane prior to departure. They purposely waited until after they ate lunch and immediately before departure to refuel the airplane in order to obtain the maximum quantity of cool fuel. The passenger had flown about 40 photo missions with the pilot and was aware of the importance of fueling the airplane to maximum capacity. He assured the pilot that the fuel tanks were completely full. The accident occurred 3 hours 34 minutes after departure. The pilot stated that during recovery, 1/2-gallon of fuel was found in the airplane. The pilot also told the Safety Board investigator that he routinely flew the airplane 4 hours to 4 hours 5 minutes and it would require 20- to 20.5-gallons fuel to fill the tanks. The airplane holds 26 gallons fuel, of which 22.5 are usable fuel. The engine was test run and started promptly and ran smoothly. The magneto check and carburetor heat check were normal. The engine did not stop when the mixture control was moved to the idle cutoff position. The inspection revealed that the mixture control arm was loose on its shaft. The carburetor was examined and the mixture control valve stem shaft was found bent and was not inserted into the sleeve in the bowl. According to the representative from the carburetor manufacturer, the carburetor operates in the "full rich" condition at all times when the stem is not inserted in the sleeve and subsequent movement of the mixture control would have no effect. The examination also revealed that the mixture control lever was loose on the shaft and the stop peg traveled beyond the idle cutoff stop pad. The pilot/operator reported that no recent maintenance had been performed on the carburetor.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

A bent mixture control valve stem shaft in the carburetor which made pilot control of the mixture inoperative resulting in excessive fuel consumption, and subsequent loss of engine power..

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Accident occurred Saturday, April 29, 2000 in DELANO, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 7/17/2001
Aircraft: Cone QUESTAIR VENTURE, registration: N9QV
Injuries: 2 Serious.
On the landing roll the airplane veered to the left and departed the runway with the right wheel hitting a concrete storm drain causing the airplane to nose over and come to rest inverted. The pilot reported that the attachment for the nose landing gear yoke had broken off. A 500-foot skid mark was found on the runway. The nose landing gear underwent a metallurgical examination. The fracture surfaces observed exhibited fractures consistent with overload stresses. There were no manufacturer design or material defects noted.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

Loss of directional control during landing for undetermined reasons.

Delano Municipal Airport Approach / Landing:  Not available at this time.