Lake Tahoe private jet crashed and killed six after pilot banked plane too steeply during final approach, causing it to stall and plunge to ground in fireball, report rules
- The Bombardier CL 600 twin-engine jet went into a stall and plunged to the ground in California, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday
- It set off from Coeur D’Alene, Idaho and was trying to land at Truckee-Tahoe Airport when it crashed in a forest just a flew blocks from the runway
- There was a fiery explosion and everyone on the jet was pronounced dead. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office had to use DNA evidence to identify the victims
A private jet crashed and killed all six people on board in July 2021 following errors from both pilots, according to federal investigators.
The Bombardier CL 600 twin-engine aircraft went into an aerodynamic stall and plunged to the ground in California, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.
It set off from Coeur D’Alene, Idaho and was trying to land at Truckee-Tahoe Airport when it crashed in a forest just a flew blocks from the runway.
There was a fiery explosion and everyone on the jet was pronounced dead. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office had to use DNA evidence to identify the victims.
Pilots Thomas Ebaugh, 56, and Alberto Montero De Collado De La Rosa, 43, real-estate agent Kevin Kvarnlov, 34, young married couple Ryan and Christine Thomas, 38 and 33, and property developer John Kenneth Dunn, 62, all died.
A private jet crashed and killed all six people on board in July 2021 following errors from both pilots, according to federal investigators
The Bombardier CL 600 twin-engine aircraft went into an aerodynamic stall and plunged to the ground in California, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday
A NTSB report found Ebaugh, the co-pilot, made a mistake when he made a steeply banked left turn in an effort to fix a poor approach and line up with one of the runways at Truckee-Tahoe Airport.
But the captain De La Rosa failed to correct the co-pilot’s error and both of them ignored stall warnings from the plane.
The pilots were cleared to land on one of the airport’s two runways, which are perpendicular to each other.
However, they calculated that they needed to use the longer runway because of the weight of their twin-engine Bombardier Challenger 605 jet.
Instead of making a straight-on approach to the longer runway, they continued nearing the shorter one, then circled around and made an unnecessarily sharp turn to line up with the longer runway, the NTSB said.
Investigators said they were also flying too fast and too high, and the co-pilot improperly deployed the flight spoilers – which are hinged surfaces on the wings that are used to slow down or descend.
The aircraft crashed in a wooded area a few blocks from the airport and near a set of houses.
It ignited a wildfire that was contained before it could threaten Truckee. The plane was destroyed in the fire, but investigators were able to retrieve information from the so-called black boxes that record flight data.
Captain De La Rosa had 5,680 hours of flying experience although only 235 in the Bombardier model. While co-pilot Ebaugh had 14,308 hours.
The private jet they were traveling on took off from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho at 11.45am on July 26, 2021 and originally flew from Van Nuys to Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in Thermal before heading out to Reno and then to Idaho.
Thomas Ebaugh, 56, was identified as the co-pilot and he died in the crash. A NTSB report found he made a mistake when he made a steeply banked left turn to fix a poor approach
Kevin Kvarnlov, a former golf instructor turned real-estate agent, was one of the people killed in the crash
John Kenneth Dunn, 62, the co-founder of a $1.6 billion real estate investment firm, was killed in the plane accident
The Bombardier CL 600 twin-engine jet set off from Coeur D’Alene, Idaho and was trying to land at Truckee-Tahoe Airport when it crashed in a forest just a flew blocks from the runway
It was turning to land at the Truckee-Tahoe Airport in Northern California at around 1.20pm, when it went down in a wooded area near the Ponderosa Golf Course, landing between two houses and narrowly avoiding a school bus.
Before it crashed, one of the pilots told air traffic controllers that he would need to circle the airport runway before his final approach, according to a recording of the conversation.
‘We look forward to seeing you guys,’ he said in the recording, before reporting that he had the runway in sight.
The crash set off a small forest fire, which authorities were able to put out quickly.
No one on the ground was injured.
But at a Truckee-Tahoe Airport District board meeting two days later, residents said the fatal crash was the second one to occur near homes in roughly two months, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Some said they were upset that airport officials described the scene of the crash as a ‘heavily wooded area,’ instead calling it a ‘heavily residential neighborhood.’
Others also said they were worried planes may crash into their homes, with one man, who identified himself as a firefighter who responded to the scene as a civilian, saying, ‘had the weather conditions been different, that fireball would have been a significant event for this community.’
He reportedly added that the crash was just 30 feet from a home.
‘We are very fortunate that the plane went down between areas that were defendable and wouldn’t burn,’ the firefighter said. ‘We’re also extremely lucky that the plane didn’t hit a school bus full of sixth-graders.
‘Something needs to change,’ he said. ‘This can’t continue.’
Ebaugh was confirmed dead by his wife, Lisa Hollerbach-Ebaugh, who posted on Facebook: ‘It is with tremendous sadness that I share Bret Ebaugh, my love, was lost in a horrific crash on Monday near Tahoe.
‘To me, he was my best friend, my lover,’ she wrote in the post, which was made public by Kevin Mussat. ‘To his kids, a one-of-a-kind amazing, funny, adventure-seeking dad. To his friends and colleagues, an all-around good guy and the best damn pilot anyone would be fortunate to fly with.
Images of the scene show flaming debris in the immediate aftermath of the crash, which occurred in a populated area
The plane took off at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho at 11.45am on Monday and was headed for the Truckee-Tahoe Airport in Northern California when it crashed
‘Thank you to all who have reached out,’ she wrote. ‘Your love and support during this time means everything.
‘I’m not sure how we’re supposed to do life without you, Bret,’ she concluded. ‘I love you, forever.’
Hideaway Properties, a private golf community in La Quinta, also confirmed in an email to its members that its real-estate agent Kvarnlov and residents Ryan and Christine Thomas were killed in the crash.
The email explained that Kvarnlov was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, but ‘he grew up knowing he always wanted to get out of the cold, and find warmer weather.’
He moved to Coachella in 2011 to pursue a career as a golf professional, and spent nine years on the professional staff at The Palms Golf Club and The Plantation Golf Club before he began his real-estate career.
In 2019, he joined Hideaway Properties as a real estate and membership associate.
‘The Hideaway Properties team is struggling to deal with the loss of our beloved coworker and friend, Kevin Kvarnlov, and appreciate your understanding during this difficult time, Robert Ravis, director of real estate for Hideaway, wrote in the email.
Dunn was the co-founder of a $1.6 billion real estate investment firm. The Texas-based Rainier Companies issued a press release a week after his death.
‘The Rainier family is deeply saddened by the loss of its co-founder, partner and friend,’ said Rainier President and CEO Danny Lovell.
‘Our most heartfelt sympathies go to Ken’s family during this unbelievably difficult time. He will be terribly missed.’
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