ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 220746
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| Date: | Saturday 12 January 2019 |
| Time: | 12:15 |
| Type: |  Van's RV-8A |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N800KE |
| MSN: | 82281 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2008 |
| Engine model: | Mattituck TMX IO-360 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Whidbey Airpark (W10), Langley, WA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Everett-Snohomish County Airport, WA (PAE/KPAE) |
| Whidbey Airpark, WA (W10) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On January 12, 2019, about 1115 Pacific standard time, an experimental amateur-built Vans Aircraft Inc., RV8A airplane, N800KE, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain while maneuvering to final approach at Whidbey Air Park Airport (W10), Langley, Washington. The private pilot was fatally injured, and the pilot-rated passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was privately owned and operated by the pilot, under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Snohomish County Airport (Paine Field) (PAE), Everett, Washington, about 1100 and was destined for W10.
The pilot and passenger departed on a personal flight to a nearby airport. Video footage captured by an on-board camera revealed that, while in the traffic pattern at a groundspeed of 77 knots, the sound of the engine's power sharply decreased, and the pilot's hand movement was consistent with a power reduction. The airplane's elevator control surfaces were consistent with the pilot commanding positive pitch to the airplane.
For the next few seconds, the airplane continued in a left turn; the sound of the engine was consistent with a power increase. Shortly thereafter, the left wing dropped rapidly, and the nose of the airplane began falling through the horizon. The airplane's left bank continued to increase. The airplane descended toward the ground in a left bank about 90° until the airplane impacted terrain about 2,000 ft from the approach end of the runway. The passenger stated that the left wing "fluttered" like it stalled, and the airplane subsequently descended like a "lawn dart." The video revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane or engine.
It is likely that during the turn, the pilot did not maintain sufficient airspeed and exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack while maneuvering in the airport traffic pattern, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, loss of control, and subsequent impact with terrain.
Probable Cause: The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack while maneuvering in the airport traffic pattern, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and a loss of control at an altitude too low for recovery.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=800KE
https://flightaware.com/photos/view/1749824-ae5e58278e590d45f817599b62d64403dad7cc83/aircrafttype/RV8
Location
Media:
Deadly plane crash on Whidbey Island occurred during fly-in https://t.co/x84xrXkfZF pic.twitter.com/E4gTzjboGO
— KING 5 News (@KING5Seattle) 13 janvier 2019
Tonight Island County Sheriff Deputies have identified the pilot who died in the Whidbey Island plane crash as 63-year-old Marc Drake. 📸 @SWFEMS @komonews #KOMONews pic.twitter.com/SuFv1QTIP9
— Tammy Mutasa (@TammyKOMO) 13 janvier 2019
USA, WA - Whidbey island plane crashes. 1 fatality.
— PLANES OF LEGEND (@PlanesOfLegend) 13 janvier 2019
"Then about 11:15 a plane engine could be heard louder than usual and changed tone. Perhaps it went from moderate power to full power?......"https://t.co/inJLtAriPw pic.twitter.com/eruKfmuDb3
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Jan-2019 21:11 | gerard57 | Added |
| 12-Jan-2019 21:30 | Geno | Updated [Total fatalities, Location, Source] |
| 12-Jan-2019 22:52 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Phase, Source] |
| 12-Jan-2019 23:52 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 13-Jan-2019 04:46 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 13-Jan-2019 08:13 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative] |
| 13-Jan-2019 08:14 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 13-Jan-2019 11:12 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code] |
| 13-Jan-2019 14:57 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Embed code, Damage] |
| 15-Jan-2019 07:05 | Anon. | Updated [Embed code, Narrative] |
| 31-Mar-2021 13:55 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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