Robert L Thurmond RV8 accident near Centerville, UT
On October 10, 2023, a Robert L Thurmond RV8 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Centerville, UT. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 10, 2023
- Place
- Centerville, UT
- Aircraft
- Robert L Thurmond RV8 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 40.939°N, 111.894°W
- NTSB ID
- 20231010193220
Official records · WPR24FA010
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 10, 2023, about 11:24 mountain daylight time, an experimental amateur-built RV-8, N75RT, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Centerville, Utah. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to recorded flight data recovered from an on-board Garmin GDU 460, at 11:14:30 the airplane departed runway 17 at Skypark Airport (BTF), Bountiful, Utah, and made a left turn to the north. Shortly after departure, engine parameters showed a gradual decrease in oil pressure began. By 11:19:30, the oil pressure had decreased to 13 psi and the engine speed increased to 3,990 rpm at a manifold pressure of 22.7 inches of mercury. At about 11:19:30, the pilot initiated a 180° left turn to the south, and the departure airport was about 11 miles south. At that time, runway 32 at Hill Air Force Base was about 5 nm to the north, and a dry lakebed was about 4 nm to the southwest. Over the next 5 seconds, manifold pressure decreased to 9.8 inches of mercury, engine speed decreased to 3,030 rpm, and the recorded power output dropped to 49 percent. Between 11:19:45 and 11:22:21, the airplane descended from 5,750 ft mean sea level (msl) to about 4,700 ft msl, where it briefly leveled off, and the airplane's pitch angle gradually increased. At 11:23:48, manifold pressure was 15.7 inches of mercury, engine speed was 2,600 rpm, and 46 percent power. Near that time, the No. 2 cylinder EGT decreased below the others and engine speed decreased to 2,300 rpm. Airspe
Probable cause
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while attempting to return to the departure airport, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low for recovery. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the No. 2 connecting rod due to oil starvation for reasons that could not be determined.
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Browse: Utah
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
