Amateur-built VANS RV-6A accident near Hendersonville, North Carolina, May 9, 2022
On May 9, 2022 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 1997 amateur-built VANS RV-6A, registered N7FJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Hendersonville, North Carolina (Hendersonville Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to go-around during an unstable approach, which resulted in a hard landing, runway excursion, and nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 9, 2022 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hendersonville, North Carolina · Hendersonville Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VANS RV-6A NO SERIES, built 1997
- Registration
- N7FJ · no longer on the register · serial 22226
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that following a normal approach to landing, about 20 ft above the runway he encountered a “slight tail wind.” He reported that at this point, “I should have gone around” but he believed the landing was salvageable. Subsequently, the airplane touched down hard, and he maneuvered the airplane off the runway into grass where the airplane nosed over. The empennage and fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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
- Hard landing during landing defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,020 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: May 5, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,602 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O&VO-360-A1A (piston); 1,602 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LKR Lancaster SC at 2:00 pm
- Destination: 0A7 Hendersonville NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 3,075 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 am from AVL, 9 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KAVL 091554Z VRB03KT 10SM CLR 13/07 A3022 RMK AO2 SLP223 T01330072=
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 December 1, 2022. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Array | PDF, 3 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.