ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 238581
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Friday 24 July 2020 |
| Time: | 11:59 |
| Type: |  Van's RV-8 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N138PM |
| MSN: | 81895 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2018 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming AE-IO-360-A1E |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Tehachapi, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Los Angeles-Whiteman Airport, CA (WHP/KWHP) |
| Tehachapi-Kern County Airport, CA (TSP/KTSP) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Witnesses reported that the accident airplane made a straight-in approach to land. The airplane touched down onto the runway tailwheel first and oscillated between its tailwheel and main landing gear several times. It then tipped up onto the left main gear and turned toward the right edge of the runway surface. The pilot initiated an aborted landing and according to a witness, the airplane lifted off quickly but made a "perceivably slow" turn to a left crosswind. The nose of the airplane was "alarmingly" high, and the airplane did not appear to be accelerating. The left turn steepened as the airplane descended behind buildings in a nose-up attitude with the wings wobbling. The engine "cut out" and, almost immediately thereafter. they heard the impact.
The airframe and engine examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Recorded data from the airplane was consistent with what the witnesses reported. The engine power never exceeded 67%, which is likely why the airplane did not appear to accelerate during the takeoff; however, this would not have resulted in the loss of control. Given the reported nose-high attitude and steep left turn, it is likely the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack and that it stalled at an altitude too low for the pilot to recover before it impacted the building.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at too low of an altitude to recover.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/plane-crash-reported-in-tehachapi/
https://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/one-person-dead-following-plane-crash-in-tehachapi
NTSB
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N138PM/history/20200724/1826Z/KWHP/KTSP
https://www.vansaircraft.com/first-flights/michael-phillipss-rv-8/
Location
Images:
Photos: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Jul-2020 20:57 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 24-Jul-2020 21:33 | Geno | Updated [Time, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source] |
| 25-Jul-2020 07:03 | harro | Updated [Source] |
| 27-Jun-2021 07:55 | aaronwk | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative] |
| 07-Jun-2022 21:57 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative, Accident report, Photo] |
| 07-Jun-2022 21:57 | Captain Adam | Updated [Photo] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation