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ERA21LA299

2021-07-25 · Ocracoke, North Carolina, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport W95

Current FAA registration · N464DM

Make / Model
VAN'S AIRCRAFT RV-6A
Year of manufacture
2002 · 19 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O-360-A1A (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20020823
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A5A8CE

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to perform a go-around during the unstabilized approach, which resulted in the airplane landing too far down the runway, and a subsequent runway excursion.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that windspeed at the nearest weather reporting facility was 14-16 knots, and the windsock at the accident airport indicated a 90° crosswind. He stated that his approach was “too high and fast”, and he crossed the runway threshold about 70 ft above ground level (AGL) at a speed of 90 mph. About ½ way down the runway, the airplane was about 30 ft AGL at a speed of about 45 mph, and “oscillating 20° either side of center.” The pilot believed he could “straighten the flight path and touch down in time to stop” before the end of the runway. However, a gust of wind “would not allow the aircraft to slow” and it ran off the end of the runway about 20 mph, nosed over, and sustained substantial damage to the vertical and horizontal stabilizers, the rudder, and the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action selection-Pilot
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation
  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_ERA21LA299.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion, go-around, unstabilized approach). All research papers