Vans Aircraft RV-6A accident near Trinidad, Colorado, June 26, 2005
On June 26, 2005 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Vans Aircraft RV-6A, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N8097F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Trinidad, Colorado (Trinidad-Stokes 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 inadequate compensation for wind and his inadequate recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 26, 2005 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Trinidad, Colorado · Trinidad-Stokes · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Vans Aircraft RV-6A, amateur-built
- Registration
- N8097F · registry record · serial 24446
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that during the landing flare a gust of wind caused the left wing to lower and the "left main gear to hit hard and caused the aircraft to bounce about 25 feet back into the air." He then said that the aircraft "weathervaned into the wind and stalled on the edge of the runway." The nose gear "got stuck" on the edge of the runway, and the aircraft nosed over. He noted the damage to the landing gear, propeller, both wingtips, horizontal and vertical stabilizers, elevator, rudder, and canopy.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 517 hours in all; 126 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 426 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 126 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,850 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GKY Arlington TX at 3:00 pm
- Destination: 0V2 Salida CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 17 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from TAD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N8097F 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.