Rockwell Commander 114 accident near Laughlin, NV
On May 18, 2015, a Rockwell Commander 114 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Laughlin, NV. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 18, 2015
- Place
- Laughlin, NV
- Aircraft
- Rockwell Commander 114 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 35.117°N, 114.639°W
- NTSB ID
- 20150517X24331
Official records · WPR15FA163
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 17, 2015, about 1800 Pacific daylight time, a Rockwell Commander 114B airplane, N4775W, crashed shortly after takeoff near Laughlin, Nevada. The private pilot/owner sustained serious injuries, and the three passengers sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire. The pilot was operating the airplane as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the accident site about the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight departed Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport (IFP), Bullhead City, Arizona, at 1756, destined for Goodyear, Arizona. According to the pilot, he conducted an engine test run with no anomalies noted. At 1756, the tower controller cleared the flight for a straight-out departure to the south. During the climb to between about 300 and 400 ft above the ground, the engine started running roughly, and the airplane was not accelerating or climbing. The terrain ahead was rising, so the pilot turned right. Due to the low altitude and power, the pilot chose to conduct an off-airport landing, during which he attempted to troubleshoot the engine issue without success. As the airplane continued to descend, the pilot saw houses and bushes ahead; he aimed the airplane away from the houses, and the airplane eventually hit trees and terrain. A postimpact engine fire ensued. Several witnesses near the accident site reported seeing the airplane flying at a very low altitude. One witness reported seeing it descend into trees followe
Probable cause
A partial loss of engine power due to the turbocharger's seizure as a result of a severely worn turbowheel. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the pilot/owner to have the turbo normalization system inspected every 100 hours as required, which allowed erosion on the exhaust side of the turbowheel to go undetected.
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Browse: Nevada
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
