- Date
- October 12, 2016, 12:50 local (16:50 UTC)
- Place
- Garland, NC
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N164NNewkirk Thomas Ray Vans RV 6
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 18, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20161012020039A
- Case key
- 94237
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 improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing on the grass runway.
Findings · 3
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 reported that during landing at his private grass runway, the airplane "skipped" during the initial landing touchdown. Subsequently, as the airplane settled back to the runway, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over. The pilot further reported that the grass was "soft." The vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that the nose gear failed during the landing. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Safety Inspector (ASI) who spoke with the pilot postaccident, the pilot reported to him that the airplane bounced during the landing touchdown and when the airplane settled back to the runway, the nose gear had been damaged and further sunk into the grass runway. A photo provided by the FAA ASI showed an initial impact mark about 100 feet prior to the location where the airplane nosed over. It is likely that the nose gear was damaged during the initial touchdown.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during landing at his private grass runway, the airplane "skipped" during the initial landing touchdown. Subsequently, as the airplane settled back to the runway, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over. The pilot further reported that the grass was "soft." The vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that the nose gear failed during the landing. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Safety Inspector (ASI) who spoke with the pilot postaccident, the pilot reported to him that the airplane bounced during the landing touchdown and when the airplane settled back to the runway, the nose gear had been damaged and further sunk into the grass runway. A photo provided by the FAA ASI showed an initial impact mark about 100 feet prior to the location where the airplane nosed over. It is likely that the nose gear was damaged during the initial touchdown.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N164N
- Reported as
- Newkirk Thomas Ray Vans RV 6 (A)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 25564
- Built
- 2002
- Airframe hours
- 525
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · November 12, 2015
- Departed
- AQX · Allendale, SC
- Destination
- Garland, NC
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 23, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 1,828.8 total · 525 in this make and model · 60 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- KCPC, 30 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 1, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.8 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.