# Accident 19980524010569A: Amtr RV8, Blythe, CA, May 24, 1998 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: May 24, 1998, 06:30 local time - Place: Blythe, CA - Airport: Blythe Airport - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Descent - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 33.7807° N, 116.4105° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.7807&lon=-116.4105&mi=10 - Aircraft: N58RV, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N58RV-2000-02-16) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Vans RV-8 (registry code 05603Y5, https://openairdocs.org/model/vans-rv-8) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AMTR RV8 - Reported engine: LYC O320D1F - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 2 - Pilot flight hours: 9,601 total, 150 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX98FA171](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98FA171) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980524010569A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. AIARCRAFT WING FAILED UNDER UNKNOWN PHASE. SHOWS EXCEEDED DESIG LOAD. (.4) THE AIRCRAFT, EQUIPPED WITH DUAL CONTROLS, DEPARTED FOR A DEMONSTRATION FLIGHT WITH THE PILOT IN THE FRONT SEAT AND THE PILOT-RATED PASSENGER IN THE BACK. A DEMONSTRATION FLIGHT INCLUDES ONLY LOW-G MANEUVERS. THE AIRCRAFT, DESIGNED FOR AEROBATICS, HAD, SINCE ITS MANUFACTURE, PERFORMED AEROBATIC MANEUVERS ON PREVIOUS FLIGHTS. THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE GROSS WEIGHT FOR AEROBATICS IS 1,550 POUNDS. THE AIRCRAFT WEIGHED AN ESTIMATED AT 1,639 POUNDS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. AN AG PILOT REPORTED SEEING THE AIRCRAFT IN A SHALLOW CLIMB ABOUT 500 FEET AGL. AN EYEWITNESS, OVER A MILE FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE, HEARD AN ENGINE SURGING AND LOOKED UP. HE SAW A YELLOW AIRCRAFT FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL, ABOUT 1,000 FEET AGL. AS HE WATCHED, SOMETHING FELL FROM THE AIRCRAFT, WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY A LOUD BOOM. THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED UP, NOSED OVER, ROLLED, ENTERING A SPIN THAT CONTINUED UNTIL IMPACT. THE OUTBOARD PORTION OF THE LEFT WING WAS FOUND 0.17 MILES FROM THE CRASH SITE. THE MAIN SPAR HAD EVIDENCE OF A DUCTILE FRACTURE DUE TO A POSITIVE OVERLOAD. THE SPAR MATERIAL MET DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS FOR METAL COMPOSITION AND HARDNESS. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FATIGUE OR CORROSION. THE OUTBOARD SECTION OF THE LEFT WING DID NOT EXHIBIT ANY EVIDENCE OF AEROELASTIC DIVERGENCE. A FLUTTER TEST SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT DESIGN WAS FREE FROM FLUTTER TO SPEEDS ABOVE ITS DESIGN ENVELOPE. WING LOAD TESTING SHOWED THE WING DESIGN WAS ABLE TO SUPPORT A LIMIT LOAD, +6 G'S. THE WING ALSO SUPPORTED AN ULTIMATE LOAD, +9 G'S, FOR 3 SECONDS WITHOUT FAILURE. THE ENGINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM NONVOLATILE MEMORY READOUT PROVIDED DATA POINTS EQUIVALENT TO 191 MPH IN LEVEL FLIGHT. MANEUVERING SPEED UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS IS 142 MPH. (-23) AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES APPROXIMATELY 11 MILES SOUTH OF BLYTHE, CA. AT 0700 PDT. AIRCRAFT WAS A VANS RV8 AND WAS DESTROYED, WITH THE TWO OCCUPANTS, BOTH FATALLY INJURED. THE PILOT WILL NOT BE REEXAMINED DUE TO THE FATAL INJURIES HE RECEIVED IN THE CRASH. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB LAX98FA171](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98FA171), May 24, 1998: Vans RV-8 (N58RV), Ripley, CA, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: the intentional or unintentional sudden application of aft elevator control by an undetermined aircraft occupant that exceeded the design stress limits of the aircraft. The aircraft gross weight,… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.