Pilot Debrief

Vans RV8 near Brookings, OR — 2019-04-18

Final reportWPR19FA116
Sign in to save
Date
2019-04-18
Location
Brookings, OR, USA
Airport
BOK
Aircraft
Vans RV8
Registration
N791PF
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
2
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control during an aggressive maneuver that resulted in a nose down collision with terrain.

NTSB narrative

A witness saw the airplane complete a touch-and-go landing and depart toward the north. Another witness saw the airplane flying north after takeoff, then shortly thereafter saw it flying south as if the pilot was returning to the airport for landing; the airplane then made an "abrupt or severe" 180° left turn back toward the north before it rolled onto its right side for several seconds, then "went straight down" and subsequently impacted terrain. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the airframe revealed that flight control continuity was confirmed throughout the airplane from the pilot controls to the control surfaces, with the exception of the elevator torque tube, which was fractured and observed to have separated near the elevator pitch servo. Metallurgical examination indicated that the fracture was consistent with bending overstress. It could not be determined if the fracture occurred prior to or during the impact sequence. It is most likely that the pilot experienced a loss of control during an aggressive maneuver at too low an altitude to recover from.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have avoided the abrupt turn and maintained control during approach.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 11 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents11

Related mishaps