Van's RV8 N791PF

Summary

On 18 April 2019 at about 23:15 local time, a Van's RV8 registered N791PF, operated by Penticoff James F, was involved in an accident near Brookings, Oregon, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 April 2019 at 23:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Brookings, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Brookings Airport (BOK)

Coordinates

42.0839, -124.3017

Aircraft

Van's RV8

Registration

N791PF

Category

Airplane

Year built

2007

Engines

1

Operator

Penticoff James F

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bandon → Brookings

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19FA116

2 people died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control during an aggressive maneuver that resulted in a nose down collision with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

A witness saw the airplane complete a touch-and-go landing and depart toward the north. Another witness saw the airplane flying north after takeoff, then shortly thereafter saw it flying south as if the pilot was returning to the airport for landing; the airplane then made an "abrupt or severe" 180° left turn back toward the north before it rolled onto its right side for several seconds, then "went straight down" and subsequently impacted terrain. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the airframe revealed that flight control continuity was confirmed throughout the airplane from the pilot controls to the control surfaces, with the exception of the elevator torque tube, which was fractured and observed to have separated near the elevator pitch servo. Metallurgical examination indicated that the fracture was consistent with bending overstress. It could not be determined if the fracture occurred prior to or during the impact sequence. It is most likely that the pilot experienced a loss of control during an aggressive maneuver at too low an altitude to recover from.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.