Message
I review the NTSB
accident summaries (http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/Month.asp)
on a regular basis just to see what I can learn from others'
mistakes. I found it interesting that between June 7, 2003 and July
5, 2003 (28 days), there were 8 RV accidents serious enough to be reported
to the NTSB. Four of these resulted in fatalities, with one including a
passenger. Here are very brief summaries:
RV-8 - minor inj. -
landed long at private grass strip, nosed over.
RV-6A - minor inj. -
lost power on take-off, nosed over during forced landing.
RV-6A - minor inj. -
nosed over on aborted take-off.
RV-8 - 1 fatal -
aircraft had not flown in a year, after take-off pilot reported engine
problems on downwind, flew extended downwind then crashed into trees on 1/2
mile final.
RV-6A - 1 fatal -
after 1+38 local flight crashed 1/2 mile short of runway.
RV-6A - 2 fatal -
after take-off engine sputtered during climb-out, stall/spin during turn back to
airport.
RV-4 - 1 fatal -
flight was returning from cross-country, pilot witness saw plane 2.5 miles from
home field, engine was sputtering, crash-landed in farm field and nosed
over.
RV-4 - serious inj.
- in cruise flight engine began vibrating violently, pilot shut down and saw
prop was splintered, crashed into trees during forced
landing.
I know there are a
lot more RVs than Lancairs flying, but these stats seem way out of
proportion. Except for the shattered prop (maybe), these all seem like
pilot error, most of them involving either fuel starvation or fuel exhaustion
(big presumption on my part, I know). None of the accident circumstances
were unique to RVs or even to homebuilts. I just though it was
interesting that there was such cluster of RV accidents in such a short
period.
Be careful out
there!
Lee "Moondog"
Metcalfe
Former Squadron
Safety Officer
N320WH - LNC2 -
IO-320 - 494 hrs. - Kansas City (IXD)
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