- Date
- September 14, 2022, 12:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Elberta, AL
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N955DKKumhyr David B Vans RV-8A
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220914015329A
- Case key
- 105959
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 pilot’s failure to maintain an appropriate descent rate during the landing approach, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent nose over during landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot described that during the landing approach to the turf runway, while about 50 feet above the runway threshold, he reduced engine power and the airplane began to descend rapidly. He responded by increasing engine power, but the airplane impacted the ground and nosed over. The airplane’s fuselage and vertical stabilizer were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N955DK
- Reported as
- Kumhyr David B Vans RV-8A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 81538
- Built
- 2004
- Airframe hours
- 413.8
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-B1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- R&V Properties LLC
- Registered owner
- R&V Properties LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · March 8, 2022
- Departed
- KMCB · McComb, MS
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- AL55 · Shields, runway 09, 2,175 × 80 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 79
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,670 total · 140 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.03 inHg
- Observed at
- KNPA, 9 nm away
- METAR
- KNPA 141756Z 06007KT 10SM FEW250 29/15 A3003 RMK SLP169 FU DSNT N-NE T02940150 10300 20167 58004
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 11, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.