Van's RV6 N298Z

Summary

On 14 June 2024 at about 16:45 local time, a Van's RV6 registered N298Z was involved in an accident near Townsend, Delaware, 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

14 June 2024 at 16:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Townsend, Delaware, United States

Nearest airport

Spirit Airpark (DE20)

Coordinates

39.3736, -75.7458

Aircraft

Van's RV6

Registration

N298Z

Category

Airplane

Year built

1999

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dover → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA264

1 person was seriously injured.

An inadvertent encounter with rough or soft terrain during landing, resulting in a bent nose landing gear leg and subsequent nose over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was in the traffic pattern for landing at his home airport. The turf runway was 3,300 ft-long and 100 ft-wide, and the pilot described its condition as dry, but “pretty bumpy.” The approach and landing were normal, with the main landing gear touching down first, about 60 mph. After he lowered the nose landing gear to the runway, the airplane nosed over and came to rest, inverted. He was met by neighbors and first responders who assisted him out of the airplane and was taken to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries. An inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration responded to the accident site and examined the wreckage. There was substantial damage to one wing, the fuselage, and the vertical stabilizer. He reported that the landing surface was bumpy; however, he could not determine an exact location where the landing gear dug in. After the wreckage was recovered, the landing gear was examined. The nose landing gear leg was found unbroken, but bent aft about 30-40°, consistent with the nose wheel digging into rough or bumpy turf. The nose wheel casted and turned freely without restriction. There were no areas of preexisting mechanical anomaly found.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.