Gary W Bettis HARMON ROCKET II N91GB

Summary

On 17 June 2013 at about 19:15 local time, a Gary W Bettis HARMON ROCKET II registered N91GB was involved in an accident near South Lake Tahoe, California, 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

17 June 2013 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

South Lake Tahoe, California, United States

Nearest airport

Lake Tahoe (TVL)

Coordinates

38.8939, -119.9953

Aircraft

Gary W Bettis HARMON ROCKET II

Registration

N91GB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bakersfield → South Lake Tahoe

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR13CA276

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during 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 reported that he contacted UNICOM as he approached the airport and was told that the gusting wind of 10 to 15 knots favored the southern runway. The first attempt to land resulted in a go-around due to an erratic and gusting right crosswind. During touchdown on the second attempt, the crosswind turned the airplane to the right. The pilot applied full left rudder, and was able to return the airplane to runway centerline. However, during the rollout, the airplane was again struck by the crosswind, and departed the runway surface and ground looped. The fuselage and left wing were substantially damaged. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.      

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.