Amateur-built RV6 accident near Bremen, Indiana, December 8, 2023
On December 8, 2023 at about 10:05 pm local time, a 2022 amateur-built RV6, registered N330RH, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Bremen, Indiana (Private Airstrip airport). It was a positioning 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 collapse of the nose landing gear after it contacted soft terrain during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 2023 · about 10:05 pm local time
- Place
- Bremen, Indiana · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV6 A, built 2022
- Registration
- N330RH · registry record · serial 20376
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing on a grass runway when the nose landing gear encountered soft terrain and collapsed during the landing roll. The airplane came to rest in a nose down attitude with substantial damage to the engine mount. The pilot reported that the grass runway was softer than he anticipated, and that the airplane had no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Miscellaneous/other during landing (landing roll)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft surface › Awareness of condition
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail gear strut/axle › Capability exceeded
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft surface › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 14,853 hours in all; 12 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 23 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 20, 2023; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C65 Plymouth IN at 9:45 pm
- Destination: PVT Bremen IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,350 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: at 6 knots, gusting 13
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,700 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.76 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from C65, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KC65 082155Z AUTO VRB06G13KT 10SM OVC027 12/05 A2976 RMK A01=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N330RH the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.