Pilot Debrief

VANS RV4 near Clovis, NM — 2020-09-19

Final reportWPR20LA310
Sign in to save
Date
2020-09-19
Location
Clovis, NM, USA
Airport
NM42
Aircraft
VANS RV4
Registration
N250LB
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain lateral control during initial climb due to distraction, which resulted in an in-flight upset and impact with terrain.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was departing from an airport when the accident occurred. During the initial climb, he became momentarily distracted when his mobile phone rang. He looked down at the phone, which was on the floor, and within 2 seconds, the airplane had rolled inverted. At this time, the pilot looked outside the cockpit and became aware of the inflight upset. He immediately recovered the airplane into an upright attitude, but the airplane impacted the ground, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical anomalies or malfunctions that could have precluded normal operation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have ignored the phone call to maintain focus on flying.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

Related mishaps