Sheahen Dane E RV-8 N838RV

Summary

On 12 March 2016 at about 13:47 local time, a Sheahen Dane E RV-8 registered N838RV was involved in an accident near Clermont, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 March 2016 at 13:47

Classification

Accident

Location

Clermont, Florida, United States

Coordinates

28.5572, -81.7189

Aircraft

Sheahen Dane E RV-8

Registration

N838RV

Category

Airplane

Year built

2002

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Port Orange → Winter Haven

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16FA127

2 people died.

The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack while maneuvering for a forced landing; which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the fatigue failure of the crankshaft for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was in cruise flight in the experimental, amateur-built airplane. The pilot transmitted a mayday call via radio, stating that he had "lost an engine." Witnesses saw the airplane before impact and stated that the airplane was not making any sound. One witness saw the airplane enter a sharp turn before entering a nose-low descent. The airplane then impacted an open field; the sharp turn followed by the nose-low descent is consistent with an aerodynamic stall. Examination of the experimental, kit-built engine revealed that the crankshaft had fractured forward of the No. 2 connecting rod journal. Further testing of the crankshaft revealed that the fracture was the result of fatigue cracking. There were no chemical variations or foreign material present in the metallurgical testing. The crankshaft only had 20 hours total time in service, suggesting that initiation of the cracking and the subsequent failure of the crankshaft was almost immediate. As there were no apparent metallurgical mechanical deficiencies with the crankshaft, the fatigue failure was likely the result of unusual stresses; however, there was insufficient information about the engine operation in the final 17 minutes of flight to determine the reason for the failure. Although the pilot's toxicology results tested positive for Zolpidem, a prescription medication for the treatment of insomnia, the values were below the normal therapeutic range and there was no evidence that impairment contributed to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.