- Date
- May 20, 2007, 08:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Tomball, TX
- Injuries
- 2 minor; on the ground: 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N188LCLuciani RV8
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 25, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Houston FSDO
- Case key
- 65857
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 deflated right main landing gear tire, which resulted in a loss of control during the landing roll and a nose over. A factor associated with the accident was the pilot's decision to operate the airplane without having the leaking tire inspected.
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
According to the commercial pilot, the preflight inspection revealed a low right tire with 20 pounds of pressure. He serviced the tire prior to the test flight to 35 pounds pressure; however, following a normal, soft landing about 25 minutes later, the airplane veered to the right. He was unable to control the airplane, and it exited the right side of the runway, ground-looped, and nosed over. The pilot was able to exit unassisted through the shattered canopy. The pilot reported that a postaccident inspection disclosed that the right tire was completely flat, and that the inner tube was leaking.
Factual narrative
According to the commercial pilot, the preflight inspection revealed a low right tire with 20 pounds of pressure. He serviced the tire prior to the test flight to 35 pounds pressure; however, following a normal, soft landing about 25 minutes later, the airplane veered to the right. He was unable to control the airplane, and it exited the right side of the runway, ground-looped, and nosed over. The pilot was able to exit unassisted through the shattered canopy. The pilot reported that a postaccident inspection disclosed that the right tire was completely flat, and that the inner tube was leaking.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N188LC
- Reported as
- Luciani RV8
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 82306
- Airframe hours
- 0
- Engine
- Superior Air Parts XP-IO-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Luis E Luciani Jr
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special); Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Condition · May 1, 2007
- Departed
- DWH · Houston, TX
- Destination
- DWH · Tomball, TX
- Airport
- DWH · David Wayne Hooks Memorial, runway 17R, 7,009 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 47
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 514 total · 1 in this make and model · 434 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.11 inHg
- Observed at
- DWH