Pilot Debrief

Vans RV8 near Hampton, GA — 2020-06-12

Final reportERA20LA213
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Date
2020-06-12
Location
Hampton, GA, USA
Airport
HMP
Aircraft
Vans RV8
Registration
N553KM
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot’s excessive maneuvering at low altitude following a partial loss of engine power which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and collision with terrain.

NTSB narrative

During the airplane’s initial climb after takeoff, witnesses reported hearing the engine misfire and seeing black smoke trailing the airplane. The pilot performed a 180° turn and approached the departure runway in the opposite direction and overflew the airport environment. The airplane subsequently entered a 180° turn for landing on the departure runway and impacted terrain in a flat attitude at the approach end of the runway. The landing gear and cockpit canopy separated, and the wings and the fuselage were substantially damaged. Video of the accident captured the airplane in steep pitch and roll attitudes at low altitude. A detailed postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the fuel nozzle on the No. 2 cylinder was blocked and the spark plugs (top and bottom) revealed signatures consistent with "rich" mixtures in the Nos. 1 and 4 cylinders and "lean" mixtures in the Nos. 2 and 3 cylinders. The blocked fuel nozzle likely resulted in the partial loss of engine power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the takeoff after engine misfiring was evident.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Video
  • FDR / data
  • Photos
  • 9 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents9

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