Summary
On October 11, 2016, a Mickler Larry J RV6 A (N686RM) was involved in an accident near Bell, FL. The accident resulted in 1 serious injury. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot's inadequate compensation for gusting crosswinds, which resulted in a bounced landing and nose-over.
The pilot/owner was landing at his home airport with a 60-degree, 10-knot crosswind that was gusting to 14 knots. The pilot stated the wind was "a little gusty" at the time and the airplane was "right at stall speed" at touchdown. The airplane touched down on the right main landing gear, and then the left main gear before the pilot lowered the nose landing gear to the runway. He said that when the nose gear touched down, the airplane bounced into a very nose-high attitude so he "pushed the nose over" and the propeller struck the ground, the airplane nosed over, and came to rest inverted. The pilot was seriously injured and the airframe incurred substantial damage to the fuselage and vertical stabilizer.
This accident is documented in NTSB report ERA17CA013. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N686RM.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's inadequate compensation for gusting crosswinds, which resulted in a bounced landing and nose-over.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The pilot/owner was landing at his home airport with a 60-degree, 10-knot crosswind that was gusting to 14 knots. The pilot stated the wind was "a little gusty" at the time and the airplane was "right at stall speed" at touchdown. The airplane touched down on the right main landing gear, and then the left main gear before the pilot lowered the nose landing gear to the runway. He said that when the nose gear touched down, the airplane bounced into a very nose-high attitude so he "pushed the nose over" and the propeller struck the ground, the airplane nosed over, and came to rest inverted. The pilot was seriously injured and the airframe incurred substantial damage to the fuselage and vertical stabilizer. According to the pilot owner, the performance and handling of the airplane on the day of the accident was "fine… you couldn't ask for a better airplane."
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA17CA013