Ruys Nicholas G RV-8 N8EV

Summary

On 28 March 2025 at about 12:45 local time, a Ruys Nicholas G RV-8 registered N8EV was involved in an accident near Bennettsville, South Carolina, 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

28 March 2025 at 12:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Bennettsville, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Marlboro County Jetport (BBP)

Coordinates

34.6217, -79.7344

Aircraft

Ruys Nicholas G RV-8

Registration

N8EV

Category

Airplane

Year built

1999

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chesapeake → Camden

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA25LA162

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and a subsequent forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

As the pilot prepared for the accident flight he observed an unquantified amount of fuel in the airplane’s fuel tanks and assumed that the airplane had been fully refueled after his request to the airport fuel provider 5 days prior. He subsequently reset the airplane’s fuel totalizer to indicate full fuel tanks and departed. About 1.5 hours into the flight, while cruising at an altitude of about 8,000 ft. mean sea level, the airplane’s engine lost power completely. He diverted towards a nearby airport and made a series of descending turns to lose altitude. When he made his turn to a 1-mile final approach to the runway, he had lost too much altitude and made a forced landing in a field ¼-mile off the approach end of the runway. The left and right main landing gear separated from the fuselage during the landing and the fuselage and wings sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that both fuel tanks were absent of fuel. The examination otherwise found no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. According to the fuel provider at the departure airport, they had no record indicating that the airplane had been serviced with fuel prior to the accident pilot’s departure. Given this information, it is likely that the loss of engine power was the result of fuel exhaustion.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.