Amateur-built RV6-A accident near Gilbert, South Carolina, June 9, 2009
On June 9, 2009 at about 11:15 pm local time, a amateur-built RV6-A, registered N55EC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Gilbert, South Carolina (Whiteplains 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 directional control of the airplane during landing roll. Contributing to the accident was the airspeed indicator that became inoperative during the landing approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 9, 2009 · about 11:15 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Gilbert, South Carolina · Whiteplains Airport · cases near this airport · 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
- Registration
- N55EC · no longer on the register · serial 23962
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was conducting an initial flight test in the traffic pattern at the local airport. During the approach to land, he noticed that the airspeed indicator was not working properly. He attempted to maintain a correct approach speed, but stated that he may have been going to fast. During the landing, the airplane floated down the runway. The pilot applied brake pressure, but then the airplane drifted off the left side of the runway. The nose wheel contacted a rock in a drainage area which resulted in the airplane flipping over. The propeller, fuselage, canopy, and tail section incurred damage. Postaccident examination of the airspeed indicator by the pilot revealed the tubing separated from the pressure port.
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
- Flight instrument malf/fail during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Navigation system › Airspeed/mach indicating › Failure other cases naming the instruments and avionics
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 756 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 742 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 30, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 11, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 1,775 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SC99 Gilbert SC at 10:30 pm
- Destination: SC99 Gilbert SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,000 ft by 35 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,500 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from CAE, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on August 25, 2009. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Weather Reports and Records | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 1: 35MM Photograph Provided by Pilot; No Negative. View Depicting the Separated Tubing. | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N55EC: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2A 38 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Whiteplains Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in South Carolina 1,036 since 1982 · 173 in the last ten years
- South Carolina 3,112 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA09CA333.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.