Rockwell 114 N4851W

Summary

On 12 February 2012 at about 22:52 local time, a Rockwell 114 registered N4851W, operated by Commander 114 Corp, was involved in an accident near Hilton Head, South Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 February 2012 at 22:52

Classification

Accident

Location

Hilton Head, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Hilton Head Island Airport (HXD)

Coordinates

32.2047, -80.6919

Aircraft

Rockwell 114

Registration

N4851W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Commander 114 Corp

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lawrenceville → Hilton Head

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ERA12CA177

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane while landing with a crosswind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that there was a crosswind from the left of about 9 knots during the landing. After touchdown, the airplane swerved to the left and exited the left side of the runway. The airplane traveled over a grass median between the runway and a taxiway and the airplane's nosewheel separated as it traveled over a dip in the median. The airplane came to rest upright and sustained substantial damage to the engine firewall. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane. He stated that the airport was surrounded by trees and that it was not uncommon to experience dramatically changing wind conditions near the runway. A postaccident examination revealed skid marks on the runway leading to the grass median, but the pilot could not recall whether he applied brakes during the accident sequence. An examination of the brake system revealed no anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.