Van's RV8 N836JC

Summary

On 13 June 2020 at about 19:00 local time, a Van's RV8 registered N836JC was involved in an accident near Mandan, North Dakota, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 June 2020 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Mandan, North Dakota, United States

Nearest airport

Mandan Muni (Y19)

Coordinates

46.7681, -100.8944

Aircraft

Van's RV8

Registration

N836JC

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

Mandan → Stanton

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20LA227

1 person died.

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.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While the airplane was parked on the ramp before the flight, a witness noted that the aft cockpit seatbelt was wrapped around the control stick to secure the flight control surfaces; the conditions at the airport at the time were described by a second witness as "very windy." The first witness reminded the pilot to remove the belt before departure. Both witnesses noted that the airplane's elevator was up as the airplane taxied out for departure. The airplane's takeoff ground roll was short, and as the airplane became airborne, it entered a steep climb to about 50 ft above the ground, rolled left, then entered a vertical descent to ground contact. The witnesses noted that the airplane's elevator was in the full up position at the accident site and as the fire continued, the elevator slowly lowered. Postaccident examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The seat belt webbing was not identified in the charred cockpit. Given the available information, it is likely that the pilot, seated in the front cockpit of the tandem-configured airplane, failed to remove the seat belt from the aft control stick before departure, resulting in a loss of control during the initial climb and subsequent impact with terrain. The elevator likely lowered as the webbing material melted due to the fire.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.