Vans RV8 accident near Mandan, ND
On June 13, 2020, a Vans RV8 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Mandan, ND. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 13, 2020
- Place
- Mandan, ND
- Aircraft
- Vans RV8 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 46.768°N, 100.894°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200613X70924
Official records · CEN20LA227
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Memorandum For Record A�� Communication Summary -- A Martz Vp Claims: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 13, 2020, about 1400 central daylight time, a Vans RV8 airplane, N836JC, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Mandan, North Dakota. The private pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. One witness had a meeting with the pilot and others just before the accident flight. The witness walked over to the airplane after the meeting and noticed that the aft cockpit seatbelt was strapped around the control stick. The pilot said that this was done to hold the airplane's flight controls while parked with windy conditions present. This witness reminded the pilot to remove the belt from around the rear seat controls before departure. The witness walked away from the parking area on the ramp and saw the pilot turn around while in the cockpit, but could not see what he was doing. The witness noticed that the airplane's elevator was up as the airplane departed. The airplane became airborne quickly, flew straight up, rolled left, and then went straight down before impacting the ground; a fire ensued. The witness observed that the elevator was in an up position at the accident site and slowly lowered as the fire continued. Another witness stated that it was very "windy," and he noticed that the wind swung the airplane around during its taxi for departure. The pilot continued a 360° turn on the ramp and then taxied the airplane to the runway for departure. The witness noticed that the airplane's elevator was up during this time and it stayed up throughout the takeoff
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to remove the seat belt used as a flight control lock from the aft cockpit control stick before takeoff, which resulted in a loss of control during takeoff and collision with terrain.
More accidents in ND
- Cessna 401A, Feb 24, 1994
- Piper PA-24-250, Oct 22, 1986
- Cessna 441, Nov 18, 2018
- Piper PA 28-140, Jun 9, 2016
- Beech V35B, Jul 31, 1992
Browse: North Dakota · 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.
