Amateur-built RV-6 accident near Groveland, California, July 7, 2006
On July 7, 2006 at about 2:30 am local time, a amateur-built RV-6, registered N157ST, was substantially damaged in an accident near Groveland, California (Pine Mountain Lake airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the misjudged flare by the pilot that resulted in a hard bounced landing, and his failure to maintain directional control during the attempted recovery.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 2006 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Groveland, California · Pine Mountain Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-6
- Registration
- N157ST · registry record · serial 20075
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane veered off the runway during a bounced landing recovery, went through an airport perimeter fence, and collided with trees in a residential backyard. The pilot reported that he miscalculated the landing flare. The airplane landed hard and bounced into the air. The pilot added full power to abort the landing, but did not compensate for the p-factor. The airplane turned to the left, impacted the runway, traversed through the airport perimeter fence, and down an embankment where it came to rest in a residential backyard between trees. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical anomalies noted with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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: 1,798 hours in all; 390 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,798 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 180 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SQL San Carlos CA at 1:45 am
- Destination: E45 Groveland CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 3,625 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.