Amateur-built RV8 accident near Sulfer, Louisiana, June 8, 2020
On June 8, 2020 at about 4:00 pm local time, a 2007 amateur-built RV8, registered N44LA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Sulfer, Louisiana (Southland Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of directional control as a result of a fractured landing gear attach bracket.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 2020 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sulfer, Louisiana · Southland Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV8, built 2007
- Registration
- N44LA · registry record · serial 82421
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, while landing his tailwheel airplane on runway 15 with gusty winds from 250°, there was a slight bounce when he touched the runway with the right tire. As the left main tire touched down, he felt the left side of the airplane "drop suddenly." As the airplane continued down the runway, it began to veer to the left. He applied full right rudder and right brake, which kept the airplane on the runway for several hundred feet before directional control could no longer be maintained. The airplane exited the runway and nosed over which resulted in substantial damage to the right elevator. A post-accident examination revealed a fractured left landing gear inboard attach bracket.
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
- Aircraft structural failure during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear attach sec › Failure
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: unmanned (suas)
- Flight time: 7,650 hours in all; 9,898 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 7,178 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 634 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 30, 2019; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Aero Sport Power O360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L39 Leesville LA
- Destination: UXL Sulfer LA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 15, 5,001 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 9 knots
- Sky: clear
- 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
4 documents, released by the NTSB on June 26, 2020. 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, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Landing Gear Diagram | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.