LAX06CA207
2006-06-20 · Hesperia, California, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Airport L26
N31RM has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (SOCATA TBM 700, built 2015), which was not involved in this event.
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning and selection of the wrong runway, which resulted in a downwind landing, the pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point, and a runway overrun.
Factual narrative
On June 20, 2006, about 1130 Pacific daylight time, an experimental Murray RV-6A, N31RM, overran runway 3 after landing at Hesperia Airport, Hesperia, California. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot and one passenger sustained minor injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The cross-country personal flight departed Apple Valley, California, about 1100, with a planned destination of Hesperia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot submitted a written report. After arriving in the airport environment, he requested airport advisories via Universal Communications (UNICOM), but received no response. He decided to land on runway 3 and asked his passenger to confirm the wind conditions. The passenger looked out the right window to verify the wind direction and agreed with the pilot's decision to land on runway 3. The airplane touched down long and fast, and the pilot realized that he was landing with a tailwind. It was too late for him to stop before the end of the runway and the airplane ran into the airport perimeter fence. The pilot stated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight or subsequent landing. Ontario Airport, Ontario, California, located 24 nautical miles southwest of the accident site, reported winds from 240 degrees at 10 knots. The airplane overran the runway after landing and impacted the airport perimeter fence. After entering the destination airport environment, the pilot requested airport advisories for landing on Universal Communications (UNICOM), but received no answer. He decided to land on runway 3 and asked his passenger to confirm the wind direction. After looking out the window, the passenger confirmed the wind direction and agreed with the pilot's decision to land on runway 3. During the landing flare, the pilot realized that he had landed the airplane long and fast due to a tailwind condition. He was unable to stop the airplane before the end of the runway, and it collided with the airport perimeter fence. The pilot stated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight. A local area airport, 24 nautical miles from the accident airport, reported winds from 240 degrees at 10 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2006_LAX06CA207.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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