Green L/Gilner D RV-4 N262DF

Summary

On 7 October 2022 at about 18:04 local time, a Green L/Gilner D RV-4 registered N262DF was involved in an accident near Rowlesburg, West Virginia, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 October 2022 at 18:04

Classification

Accident

Location

Rowlesburg, West Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Cheat Island (PZ52)

Coordinates

39.3501, -79.6729

Aircraft

Green L/Gilner D RV-4

Registration

N262DF

Category

Airplane

Year built

1996

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA23LA010

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain an appropriate airspeed/angle-of-attack during the landing approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, and impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he was on approach to a private turf airstrip when the accident event occurred. He said that after overflying the runway, he descended to 200 feet as he entered a tight left downwind leg of the traffic pattern over a nearby river. As he made the turn from downwind to final, he noted that his angle of attack instrument was reading well below critical angle, then within a second the plane rolled right and “slammed” into the ground. He offered the hypothesis that a sudden gust cut his lift and resulted in the stall/spin. He also stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Witnesses at the airport describe that they saw the airplane on the downwind leg of the approach, and that the airplane was closer to the airport compared to other airplanes that had been landing on the same runway. The witnesses described that the airplane was low, about 30 to 40 ft above the ground, and in a steep bank at high speed when it impacted the ground approximately 500 yards from the end of the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector confirmed that the airplane’s fuselage and wings were substantially damaged. Given this information, it is likely that the pilot failed to fly the airplane at an appropriate airspeed/angle-of-attack during the landing approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, and impact with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.