Amateur-built RV6 A accident near Bell, Florida, October 11, 2016
On October 11, 2016 at about 5:36 pm local time, a 2006 amateur-built RV6 A, registered N686RM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Bell, Florida (Flying Harness Farms 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 inadequate compensation for gusting crosswinds, which resulted in a bounced landing and nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 2016 · about 5:36 pm local time
- Place
- Bell, Florida · Flying Harness Farms · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV6 A A, built 2006
- Registration
- N686RM · no longer on the register · serial 20686
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner was landing at his home airport with a 60°, 10-knot crosswind that was gusting to 14 knots. The pilot stated the wind was "a little gusty" at the time and that the airplane was "right at stall speed" at touchdown. The airplane touched down on the right main landing gear (MLG) and then the left MLG before the pilot lowered the nose landing gear (NLG). He said that, when the NLG touched down, the airplane bounced into a very nose-high attitude, so he "pushed the nose over," and the propeller struck the ground, the airplane nosed over, and it then came to rest inverted. The pilot was seriously injured, and the airframe sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and vertical stabilizer. According to the pilot/owner, the performance and handling of the airplane on the day of the accident was "fine; you couldn't ask for a better airplane."
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
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Response/compensation
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 800 hours in all; 75 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 52 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 7, 2016; 1 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 52 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 37FL Bell FL
- Destination: 37FL Bell FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,400 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 10 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; scat at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 5:30 pm from KCTY, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 17, 2017. 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 - Memorandum for Record | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 2 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.