- Date
- June 2, 2017, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Canaan Valley, WV
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N102CMMalinowski Walter S RV8
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 22, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20170602018509A
- Case key
- 95291
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 directional control while landing in gusting wind conditions.
Findings · 4
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 the landing, as the main gear touched down, a wind gust "carried" the airplane off the right side of the runway. He added that, when the nose gear touched down, it sunk into the soft ground, and the airplane "flipped over on its back." The airplane sustained substantial damage to its canopy and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the weather at the accident site about the time of the accident was wind from 330° at 12 knots, gusting to about 20 knots. The pilot landed on runway 06. An automated weather observation system about 14 nautical miles from the accident site reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 310° at 8 knots, gusting to 16 knots.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during the landing, as the main gear touched down, a gust of wind "carried" the airplane off the right side of the runway. He added that when the nose gear touched down, it sunk into the soft ground and the airplane "flipped over on its back". The airplane sustained substantial damage to its canopy and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported the weather at the accident site, about the time of the accident as, wind from 330° at 12 knots, gusting to about 20 knots. The pilot landed on runway 06. An automated weather observation system about 14 nautical miles from the accident site reported that, about the time of the accident, wind from 310° at 8 knots, gusting to 16 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N102CM
- Reported as
- Malinowski Walter S RV8 (A)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 81015
- Built
- 2014
- Airframe hours
- 97
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1-B6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 19, 2016
- Departed
- JYO · Leesburg, VA
- Destination
- WV62 · Canaan Valley, WV
- Airport
- WV62 · Windwood Fly-In Resort, runway 06, 3,000 × 40 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Onboard weather, Electronic multifunction display, 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
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 5, 2016
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 3,690 total · 97 in this make and model · 3,420 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 10.8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 8 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- KW99, 14 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 3, 2017, 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.