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Accidents · NTSB WPR15TA002 · Final report

Rockwell International 690B accident near Grass Valley, California, October 4, 2014

On October 4, 2014 at about 8:43 pm local time, a 1977 Rockwell International 690B, registered N700PQ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Grass Valley, California (Nevada County Air Park airport). It was a public-use flight (federal) under public-use (government) rules. No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The pilot’s unstabilized approach and failure to go around and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
October 4, 2014 · about 8:43 pm local time · cases in 2014
Place
Grass Valley, California · Nevada County Air Park · cases near this airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Rockwell International 690B, built 1977 · all 690Bs on the register
Registration
N700PQ · registry record · serial 11389
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Public-use flight (federal) · public-use (government) rules

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The airline transport pilot reported that, after returning from a fire mission, the airplane floated over the runway and landed long (about 1,500 to 1,800 ft down the runway, which left a maximum of about 2,850 ft of runway remaining). He reduced the power setting to flight idle and then adjusted the thrust levers to (beta) reverse. As the landing roll continued, the pilot adjusted the levers for less reverse thrust. Aware that the ground speed was too fast to make the normal exit turnoff, he applied full reverse thrust again. The airplane then swerved left, departed the runway, impacted some boulders, and came to rest upright in a drainage area. A postaccident examination of the brake system and engines revealed no evidence of mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. If the pilot had initiated a go-around when he realized the airplane was going to land long, he would not have had to modulate the reverse thrust multiple times to make the turnoff.

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

What happened, in order

  1. Abrupt maneuver during landing (landing roll) defining event
  2. Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
  3. Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)

The NTSB's findings

  • cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
  • cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
  • Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Contributed to outcome

Pilot

  • Certificate: airline transport pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 26,520 hours in all; 550 in this make and model
  • Last flight review: May 20, 2014
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: no injuries

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 8,625.1 hours
  • Last inspection: approved inspection programme, October 3, 2014; 1,050 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 10,324 lb
  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine 1: Garrett TPE-331-5-251 (turboprop); 8,339 hours total
  • Engine 2: Garrett TPE-331-5-251 (turboprop); 8,338 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: GOO Grass Valley CA at 4:43 pm
  • Destination: GOO Grass Valley CA
  • Runway 07, 4,351 ft by 75 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
  • Observation at 8:40 pm from GOO

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1
Passengers2

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

5 documents, released by the NTSB on September 22, 2016. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.

#DocumentWhat it is
1 Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 PDF, 10 pages View Download
2 Witness Statements PDF, 2 pages View Download
3 Airframe and Propeller Repair Summary PDF, 1 page View Download
4 Correspondence - Honeywell PDF, 4 pages View Download
5 Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation PDF, 3 pages View Download

The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR15TA002.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.