Amateur-built RV-8 accident near Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, October 14, 2011
On October 14, 2011 at about 8:45 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-8, registered N610EC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Breaux Bridge, Louisiana (Dupuis airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane after striking an unseen sinkhole during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 2011 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Breaux Bridge, Louisiana · Dupuis · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-8
- Registration
- N610EC · registry record · serial 81268
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing roll at a private airstrip, the airplane struck a sinkhole and bounced 10 to 15 feet in the air. The pilot added power to cushion the next touchdown, but the airplane drifted to the left and entered tall grass on the side of the runway; the landing gear separated and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the composite bulkhead. The airplane slid approximately 150 feet before coming to a stop on its belly. The pilot said that he did not see the sinkhole. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › (general) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 492 hours in all; 40 in this make and model
- Last flight review: September 16, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 625 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 23, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KOPL Opelousas LA at 8:15 pm
- Destination: LA41 Breaux Bridge LA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 12, 2,280 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.