Amateur-built RV8 accident near Angel Fire, New Mexico, June 24, 2011
On June 24, 2011 at about 4:54 pm local time, a amateur-built RV8, registered N678VR, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Angel Fire, New Mexico (Angel Fire Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of directional control during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 2011 · about 4:54 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Angel Fire, New Mexico · Angel Fire Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV8
- Registration
- N678VR · registry record · serial 82700
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during landing the airplane encountered gusty wind and the tailwheel touched down hard. The airplane veered to the right and the pilot applied left rudder, but the airplane continued off the right side of the runway, struck terrain, and came to rest upright. The airplane's fuselage sustained substantial damage. The wind at the airport around the time of the accident was an 80 degree right crosswind at 17 knots gusting to 25 knots. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical anomalies with the airplane and said the accident could have been prevented if he had maintained crosswind aileron control throughout the landing.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,100 hours in all; 34 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 11,039 as pilot in command; 7,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 28, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 210 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 6, 2010; 91 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Eci OX-360-A4B9N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SAF Santa Fe NM at 4:20 pm
- Destination: AXX Angel Fire NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 8,900 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 17 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from KAXX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on August 12, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N678VR on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Eci OX-360-A4B9N · as the NTSB recorded it
- Angel Fire Airport · nearest airport
- Santa FE Regional · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in New Mexico 1,423 since 1982 · 184 in the last ten years
- New Mexico 3,113 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN11CA423.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.