Van's RV7 N1218B

Summary

On 1 May 2022 at about 22:05 local time, a Van's RV7 registered N1218B was involved in an accident near Huntsville, Alabama, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 May 2022 at 22:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Huntsville, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Moontown Airport (3M5)

Coordinates

34.7474, -86.4674

Aircraft

Van's RV7

Registration

N1218B

Category

Airplane

Year built

2018

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dallas → Huntsville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22LA213

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s impairment due to the effects of ethanol, which resulted in a loss of airplane control and an impact with terrain on approach to landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Review of flight track data for the personal flight showed that the airplane flew on an easterly course for about 3 hours before the airplane’s altitude, heading, and groundspeed began to deviate. The airplane overflew the intended destination airport, circled several times, and impacted terrain about 600 ft short of a private airstrip about 16 nautical miles to the northeast of the intended airport. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact anomalies or malfunctions that would have precluded normal flight. The pilot stated that he had not eaten on the day of the accident, had consumed one beer before the accident flight, and had consumed additional alcoholic beverages in the airplane during the flight. The pilot recalled nothing from the last portion of the flight; however, evidence (open alcohol containers found in the wreckage) confirmed that he had consumed alcohol during the flight. Toxicology testing detected ethanol in the pilot’s blood at 0.172 gm/dL and his urine at 0.267 gm/dL. These concentrations were four to five times higher than the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulatory limit of 0.04 gm/dL; such concentrations would be impairing, and the pilot likely experienced degraded judgment and deficient coordination, psychomotor skills, perception, and attention. The airplane’s flightpath also demonstrated pilot impairment due to alcohol consumption before and during the flight. In addition, open alcohol containers were recovered in the wreckage, and the pilot admitted to consuming alcohol before and during the flight. The pilot likely experienced alcohol-related difficulties with cognitive and motor skills and was thus unable to safely manage the flight, resulting in a subsequent loss of airplane control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.