- Date
- March 3, 2008, 09:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Port Orange, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N781RVMorrison Vans RV-8
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Orlando
- FAA report
- 20080303837139A
- Case key
- 67631
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 airplane's inadvertent encounter with a crosswind gust during the landing roll, which resulted in the pilot's loss of directional control.
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 of the amateur-built Vans RV-8 landed the tail dragger airplane at his home airport with a 200-pound passenger in the rear seat, but with the center of gravity within limits. Winds were 60 to 70 degrees from the right, at 15, gusting to 20 knots. The pilot elected to use "half flaps" due to the winds, and the airplane touched down at 85 to 90 miles per hour behind a protective row of condominiums and trees. Upon emerging from behind the protective row, the airplane was "suddenly" hit with a strong wind gust that turned it 45 degrees to the right, toward a tree and hangars about 30 yards beyond the tree. The pilot applied left rudder and left brake, but was unable to turn the airplane. The airplane continued off the runway, into a cable barricade and ground looped, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The pilot noted that there was a skid mark from the left tire at least 120 feet long, and that he would have been unable to abort the landing from where he lost control.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot of the amateur-built Vans RV-8, he landed the tail dragger airplane at his home airport with a 200-pound passenger in the rear seat, but with the center of gravity within limits. Winds were 60 to 70 degrees from the right, at 15, gusting to 20 knots. The pilot elected to use "half flaps" due to the winds, and the airplane touched down at 85 to 90 miles per hour behind a protective row of condominiums and trees. Upon emerging from behind the protective row, the airplane was "suddenly" hit with a strong wind gust that turned it 45 degrees to the right, toward a tree and hangars about 30 yards beyond the tree. The pilot applied left rudder and left brake, but was unable to turn the airplane. The airplane continued off the runway, into a cable barricade and ground looped, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The pilot also noted that there was a skid mark from the left tire at least 120 feet long, and that he would have been unable to abort the landing from where he lost control.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N781RV
- Reported as
- Morrison Vans RV-8
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 80144
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360A1B6, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James Corley
- Registered owner
- Partnership (4 Individuals)
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- 7FL6 · Port Orange, 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
- 68
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight engineer, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 45 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 15 knots, gusting 20
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.