Amateur-built Glasair II-S RG accident near Rockford, Idaho, September 16, 2006
On September 16, 2006 at about 8:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Glasair II-S RG, registered N183TA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rockford, Idaho (Rockford Muni airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during landing. A contributing factor was gusty winds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 2006 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Rockford, Idaho · Rockford Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Glasair II-S RG
- Registration
- N183TA · registry record · serial 2147
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during cruise flight he noticed the aircraft's left wingtip fuel cap was missing. He stated fuel was not venting from the tip tank, however the airplane was accumulating ice and he was concerned that ice would collect over the open fuel port and potentially contaminate the fuel system. The pilot reported the aircraft continued to accumulate ice and eventually the airspeed indicator dropped to "zero" and the angle of attack indicator froze. The pilot declared an emergency and ultimately requested landing at the nearest airport, which was approximately 10 miles from his position. The pilot reported that as he "bleed airspeed off" for landing, approximately 5 feet above the runway, the airplane "pitched forward and dropped to the runway." The airplane bounced and eventually came to rest off the runway. The pilot reported the runway was 2,800 feet in length and the winds were from 180 degrees at 14 knots, gusting to 20 knots. The temperature at the airport was approximately 50 degrees F.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,199 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 103 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BZN Bozeman MT
- Destination: 2U4 Rockford ID
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16, 2,800 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 14 knots, gusting 20
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA06CA192.