Amateur-built VANS RV 10 accident near Blairsville, Georgia, June 26, 2017
On June 26, 2017 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 2010 amateur-built VANS RV 10, registered N865HB, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff (rejected takeoff) near Blairsville, Georgia (Blairsville airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of directional control upon landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 26, 2017 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Blairsville, Georgia · Blairsville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VANS RV 10 NO SERIES, built 2010
- Registration
- N865HB · registry record · serial 40093
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot applied takeoff power to complete a touch-and-go landing. The airplane's nose turned right, and the pilot corrected with a left rudder application, but the airplane continued turning right. The pilot reduced engine power and then aborted the takeoff and applied left braking, but the airplane continued to the right, departed the runway, and travelled through a depression in the ground before coming to rest. When the main landing gear (MLG) dropped into the depression, the tail section struck the ground, which substantially damaged the tail structure. The pilot reported that the "right main tire lost all pressure." Examination of the right MLG wheel revealed that the tire and the inner tube had rotated independently of each other on the rim and that the inner tube valve stem was severed. Based on the available evidence, the investigation could not determine whether the tire was flat before the accident or was caused when the MLG hit the depression.
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 takeoff (rejected takeoff) defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
- Runway excursion during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Tire casing › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 21,000 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 15,000 as pilot in command; 2,300 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 9, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 480 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 9, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming XIO-540D4A5 (piston); 365 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9A0 Dahlonega GA at 5:45 pm
- Destination: DZJ Blairsville GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 5,004 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from KRHP, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on January 28, 2019. 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 | Pilot's and Passenger Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record - Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo | 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.