Miller J Kirtley RV-6 accident near Martinsville, VA
On November 7, 2008, a Miller J Kirtley RV-6 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Martinsville, VA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- November 7, 2008
- Place
- Martinsville, VA
- Aircraft
- Miller J Kirtley RV-6 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 36.600°N, 80.039°W
- NTSB ID
- 20081107X73638
Official records · ERA09LA043
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On November 7, 2008, about 1430 eastern standard time, an experimental amateur-built, RV-6, N8LK, was substantially damaged during an aborted landing at the Covington Airport (VA72), Martinsville, Virginia. The certificated private pilot was killed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane was on approach to land on runway 30, a 2,200-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, turf runway. A friend of the pilot witnessed the accident. In a written statement, he reported that the airplane touched down left of the runway centerline, "a little long, but not excessive," and bounced approximately 3 feet high. As the airplane settled toward the runway, the pilot added full engine power, and the airplane touched down a second time. The airplane then lifted off, pitched nose-up, and yawed to the left, with the flaps extended. The airplane struck some small tree branches on the left side of the runway, before the pilot corrected back toward the right. The airplane was "struggling for altitude, with the nose high as it approached the right side of the runway." Shortly thereafter, when the airplane was about 20 to 30 feet above the ground, it began a slow left yaw and roll. The airplane’s left wing impacted the runway, followed by the propeller, and right wing, in a near vertical attitude. The airplane came to rest on the runway, approximately 180 degrees from its in
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the initial climb after an aborted landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's impairment from an over-the-counter sedating antihistamine.
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Browse: Virginia
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
