Amateur-built RV-6A accident near San Diego, California, March 27, 2006
On March 27, 2006 at about 9:00 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-6A, registered N428BC, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Diego, California (Montgomery Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a hard landing, the collapse of the nose landing gear, and a nose over. A factor associated with the accident was the pilot's failure to perform a go-around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 27, 2006 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- San Diego, California · Montgomery Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-6A
- Registration
- N428BC · registry record · serial 60038
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo private pilot was landing on a hard surfaced runway at the conclusion of a Title 14, CFR Part 91 personal cross-country flight in an experimental, amateur built airplane. He said during landing he overshot the final approach course, and in an attempt to salvage the landing, he forgot to put in the last notch of flaps. He said the airplane crossed the threshold too fast and would not slow down. He stated that the airplane landed hard, and then porpoised. On the third bounce, he said the nose wheel collapsed, and the airplane nosed over. He said he should have gone around and reconfigured the airplane instead of attempting to land. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident. He said the airplane sustained structural damage to the nose gear, wings, and fuselage.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 450 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 380 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KFCH Fresno CA at 8:00 pm
- Destination: MYF San Diego CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28L, 3,401 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.