N91GB

On June 17, 2013, a Gary W Bettis HARMON ROCKET II (N91GB) was involved in an incident near South Lake Tahoe, CA. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing with a crosswind.

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.

This incident is documented in NTSB report WPR13CA276. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N91GB.