- Date
- April 5, 1999, 11:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Cedar Creek, NC
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N239RBVans RV-6A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 21, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990405020369A
- Case key
- 46024
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The soft runway surface.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Shortly after takeoff visibility deteriorated, and the pilot decided to land at an airport short of his destination. When the visibility worsened, the pilot decided to make a precautionary landing on a private grass strip. Upon landing the runway surface, the turf was soft, and the airplane nosed over. No mechanical problems with the aircraft were reported by the pilot.
Factual narrative
On April 5, 1999, about 1130 eastern daylight time, an experimental VANS RV-6A airplane, N239RV, nosed over while attempting a landing on a private grass strip near Fayetteville, North Carolina. The personal flight was operated by the private pilot under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91, and visual flight rules. Visual Meteorological Conditions prevailed at the accident site with no flight plan filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage and pilot received minor injuries. The flight departed Rocky Mount, North Carolina, at 1015 enroute to Ft. Myers, Florida.
According to the pilot, at 0600, he telephoned the Flight Service Station requested a weather briefing. weather. At 0600, the flight departed from Warwick, New York, enroute to Ft. Myers, Florida. When the flight departed visual weather conditions prevailed, with no ceiling. At 0820, the flight approached the Cheasepeake Bay area, where weather conditions changed and there was an overcast layer of clouds 12,000 feet. The pilot decided to land at Easton, Maryland for refueling, and the pilot received an update of his initial weather briefing; weather conditions were described as "good." At 1015, the flight landed at Rocky Mount, North Carolina where he again refueled and checked computerized weather. Shortly after departing Rocky Mount, visibility began to deteriorate, and the pilot decided to land at Greys Creek, North Carolina. When the visibility worsened, the pilot decided to make a precautionary landing on a private grass strip. Upon landing on the runway surface, the pilot discovered that the turf was soft, and the airplane nosed over.
No mechanical problems with the aircraft were reported by the pilot.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N239RB
- Reported as
- Vans RV-6A
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 24002
- Airframe hours
- 45
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard Patrissi
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- RWI · Rocky Mount, NC
- Destination
- FMY · Ft Myers, FL
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 60
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 55 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 700 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FAY
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.