Amateur-built RV6A accident near Mankato, Minnesota, May 4, 2022
On May 4, 2022, a 1997 amateur-built RV6A, registered N5060, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Mankato, Minnesota (Mankato Regional Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while landing with a higher airspeed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 2022
- Place
- Mankato, Minnesota · Mankato Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV6A, built 1997
- Registration
- N5060 · no longer on the register · serial 20815
- 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 while landing the airplane slowed and, as the nosewheel touched down, the airplane abruptly lurched to the side. The airplane exited the runway surface, struck a berm, became airborne, and came to rest nose down near the airport perimeter fence. The firewall, left wing, and rudder sustained substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the flight controls and landing gear revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operations; the damage was consistent with impact and overload from the accident sequence. Based upon the ground scars and condition of the nose landing gear it is likely that the pilot landed the airplane with excessive speed and lost directional control.
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)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Incorrect use/operation
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,059 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 1,059 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 16, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 374.1 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 14, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 1,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K12Y Le Sueur MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 6,600 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from KMKT
Weather report (METAR): KMKT 050056Z AUTO 17003KT 10SM CLR 14/04 A3013 RMK AO2 SLP209 T01440039
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 May 16, 2024. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Examination Summary Statement | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Record of Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | 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.