- Date
- May 5, 2023, 09:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- North Las Vegas, NV
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N83SEELY John M Vans Acft RV-8
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20230505004779A
- Case key
- 114706
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 during landing in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in a ground loop.
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 of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during the landing rollout, he encountered a gusting right crosswind that lifted the right wing. As the airplane weathervaned to the right, the pilot applied left rudder input, but was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane veered off the runway to the right and subsequently ground looped, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N83SE
- Reported as
- ELY John M Vans Acft RV-8
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 81685
- Built
- 2004
- Airframe hours
- 1,525
- Engine
- Aero Sport Power O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · March 3, 2023 · 14 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- VGT · North Las Vegas, runway 12R, 4,199 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction 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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 21, 2023
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 520 total · 132 in this make and model · 440 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 15 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.91 inHg
- Observed at
- KVGT
- METAR
- KVGT 051653Z 20015G22KT 10SM CLR 19/M02 A2991 RMK AO2 SLP135 T01891017
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 21, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 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.