Vans RV-12 accident near Niceville, FL
On November 17, 2018, a Vans RV-12 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Niceville, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- November 17, 2018
- Place
- Niceville, FL
- Aircraft
- Vans RV-12 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 30.528°N, 86.439°W
- NTSB ID
- 20181117X94409
Official records · ERA19FA048
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On November 17, 2018, about 1237 central standard time, a Vans RV-12, N232VA, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and terrain during takeoff from Ruckel Airport (FL17), Niceville, Florida. The flight instructor was fatally injured and the student pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was privately owned and was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. Another flight instructor reported that, after returning from a flight earlier on the day of the accident, he was told by the owner of the airplane (the accident instructor) that the airplane's 100-hour inspection had been completed. The other flight instructor subsequently departed in the accident airplane with another student pilot; however, about 400 ft above ground level (agl) during the initial climb, they noticed that the engine rpm was lower than normal, and at 500 ft agl, the engine momentarily lost power. The flight instructor made a 180° turn and returned to the runway for a precautionary landing. He and the accident instructor then performed a visual inspection of the airplane and could not find any anomalies. The accident instructor stated that the problem was likely "vapor lock," which the airplane had experienced in the past, and told the other instructor to let the engine cool down and that he would fly the airplane later in the day with his own student. Two hours later, the accident instructor and student pilot departed on the accident fli
Probable cause
A partial loss of engine power during initial climb for undetermined reasons, and pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a turn back to the runway, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, and subsequent aerodynamic stall.
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Browse: Florida · Vans aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
