Anderson Harmon Rocket II accident near Seal Beach, CA
On July 7, 2004, an Anderson Harmon Rocket II (airplane) was involved in an accident near Seal Beach, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 7, 2004
- Place
- Seal Beach, CA
- Aircraft
- Anderson Harmon Rocket II · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.781°N, 118.101°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040713X00959
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 7, 2004, at 0811 Pacific daylight time, an experimental Anderson Harmon Rocket II, N28BE, impacted a residence in Seal Beach, California, following an uncontrolled descent. Impact forces and a post crash fire destroyed the airplane. The airline transport pilot, who was also the builder and registered owner, was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured; three people on the ground sustained minor injuries. The airplane departed Zamperini Field, Torrance, California, at 0802, and was flying a tower en route control (TEC) instrument clearance to the Chino Airport, Chino, California. A combination of instrument and visual meteorological conditions prevailed along the route of flight that was being flown under instrument flight rules (IFR). According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), air traffic control cleared the pilot to climb to 5,000 feet mean sea level (msl), and proceed direct to the Seal Beach VHF Omni-directional Range/Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC). Recorded radar data depected the aircraft's target return in cruise flight with a mode C report of 5,300 feet msl, and then radar contact was lost. According to a witness riding his bicycle southbound on a bike path, he heard a noise that "made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up." He looked over his left shoulder and saw the airplane coming out of the 600-foot cloud layer in a 75-degree nose-down attitude. The airplane impacted about 100 yards from the witness's location. The witness was an engineer, and a f
Probable cause
the in-flight separation of the elevator, which resulted in a loss of airplane control and an uncontrolled descent. The underlying cause and mechanism of the elevator separation could not be determined.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
