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
A private jet crashed in July 2021, killing all six people on board after errors by both pilots, according to federal investigators.
The twin-engine Bombardier CL 600 aircraft went into an aerodynamic stall and crashed to the ground in California, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.
It took off from Coeur D’Alene, Idaho and was attempting to land at Truckee-Tahoe Airport when it crashed into a forest just steps from the runway.
There was a fiery explosion and everyone on the plane 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 in July 2021, killing all six occupants after errors by both pilots, according to federal investigators
The twin-engine Bombardier CL 600 aircraft went into an aerodynamic stall and crashed to the ground in California, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday
An NTSB report found that Ebaugh, the co-pilot, made a mistake when he made a steep left turn in an attempt to recover from a bad approach and line up with one of the runways at Truckee-Tahoe Airport.
But Captain De La Rosa was unable to correct the copilot’s mistake and they both ignored the aircraft’s stall warnings.
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 had to use the longer runway due to the weight of their twin-engine Bombardier Challenger 605 jet.
Instead of approaching the longer runway straight ahead, they continued to approach the shorter runway, then circled around and made an unnecessarily sharp turn to align with the longer runway, the NTSB said.
Investigators said they were also flying too fast and too high, and that the copilot had incorrectly deployed the flight spoilers — which are hinged surfaces on the wings used to slow down or descend.
The plane crashed in a wooded area a few blocks from the airport and near a number of homes.
It started a wildfire that was contained before it could threaten Truckee. The plane was destroyed in the fire, but investigators were able to extract information from the so-called black boxes in which flight data is recorded.
Captain De La Rosa had 5,680 hours of flying experience, although only 235 in the Bombardier model. While copilot Ebaugh had 14,308 hours.
The private jet they were traveling on departed Coeur d’Alene, Idaho at 11:45 a.m. on July 26, 2021, originally flying from Van Nuys to Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in Thermal before departing for Reno and then Idaho.
Thomas Ebaugh, 56, was identified as the co-pilot and he died in the crash. An NTSB report found he made a mistake when he made a steep left turn to recover from a bad approach
Kevin Kvarnlov, a former golf instructor turned real estate agent, was among those killed in the crash
John Kenneth Dunn, 62, the co-founder of a $1.6 billion real estate investment firm, died in the plane crash
The Bombardier CL 600 twin-engine jet took off from Coeur D’Alene, Idaho and was attempting to land at Truckee-Tahoe Airport when it crashed into a forest just steps from the runway
It was making a turn to land at Truckee-Tahoe Airport in Northern California around 1:20 p.m. when it crashed into a wooded area near the Ponderosa Golf Course, landing between two homes and narrowly dodging a school bus.
Before it crashed, one of the pilots told air traffic controllers he would have to circle the airport runway for its final approach, according to a recording of the conversation.
“We look forward to seeing you,” he said in the recording, before reporting that he had the runway in sight.
The crash started a small forest fire, which authorities were able to quickly put out.
No one on the ground was injured.
But at a Truckee-Tahoe Airport District board meeting two days later, residents said the fatal accident was the second in about two months, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Some said they were upset that airport officials described the crash site as a “heavily wooded area,” calling it a “heavily residential area” instead.
Others also said they feared planes breaking into their homes, with a man, identifying himself as a firefighter, responding as a civilian at the scene, 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 house.
“We’re lucky the plane crashed between areas that were defensible and wouldn’t burn,” the firefighter said. “We were also extremely lucky that the plane didn’t hit a school bus full of sixth graders.
“Something has to change,” he said. “This can’t go on like this.”
Ebaugh was confirmed dead by his wife, Lisa Hollerbach-Ebaugh, who posted on Facebook, “It is with immense sadness that I share that 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 children, a unique, wonderful, funny, adventurous father. To his friends and colleagues, an all-encompassing good guy and the best damn pilot anyone would be lucky enough to fly with.
Footage from the scene shows flaming debris in the immediate aftermath of the crash, which took place in a populated area
The plane was departing Coeur d’Alene, Idaho at 11:45 a.m. Monday and was on its way to Truckee-Tahoe Airport in Northern California when it crashed
“Thank you to everyone who reached out,” she wrote. Your love and support during this time means everything.
“I’m not sure how we’ll manage without you, Bret,” she concluded. ‘I will always love you.’
Hideaway Properties, a private golf community in La Quinta, also confirmed in an email to its members that its realtor 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 that he always wanted to get out of the cold and seek warmer weather.”
He moved to Coachella in 2011 to pursue a career as a golf professional and spent nine years on the professional staff of The Palms Golf Club and The Plantation Golf Club before embarking on his career in real estate.
In 2019, he joined Hideaway Properties as a real estate and membership associate.
“The Hideaway Properties team is grappling with the loss of our beloved colleague and friend, Kevin Kvarnlov, and appreciates 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 company. 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 sincere condolences go out to Ken’s family at this incredibly difficult time. He will be terribly missed.’