Amateur-built RV6 accident near Townsend, Delaware, June 14, 2024
On June 14, 2024 at about 4:45 pm local time, a 1999 amateur-built RV6, registered N298Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Townsend, Delaware (Spirit Airpark 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
An inadvertent encounter with rough or soft terrain during landing, resulting in a bent nose landing gear leg and subsequent nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 14, 2024 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Townsend, Delaware · Spirit Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV6 A, built 1999
- Registration
- N298Z · registry record · serial 60164
- 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 he was in the traffic pattern for landing at his home airport. The turf runway was 3,300 ft-long and 100 ft-wide, and the pilot described its condition as dry, but “pretty bumpy.” The approach and landing were normal, with the main landing gear touching down first, about 60 mph. After he lowered the nose landing gear to the runway, the airplane nosed over and came to rest, inverted. He was met by neighbors and first responders who assisted him out of the airplane and was taken to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries. An inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration responded to the accident site and examined the wreckage. There was substantial damage to one wing, the fuselage, and the vertical stabilizer. He reported that the landing surface was bumpy; however, he could not determine an exact location where the landing gear dug in. After the wreckage was recovered, the landing gear was examined. The nose landing gear leg was found unbroken, but bent aft about 30-40°, consistent with the nose wheel digging into rough or bumpy turf. The nose wheel casted and turned freely without restriction. There were no areas of preexisting mechanical anomaly found.
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
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft surface › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 447 hours in all; 181 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 447 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 29, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 947 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 20, 2023; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,775 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D1A (piston); 946 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 33N Dover DE at 4:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 3,300 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 17,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from DOV, 19 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KDOV 141655Z AUTO 22007KT 10SM FEW170 SCT200 31/17 A2986 RMK AO2 SLP115 T03140173
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 5 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Forward Fuselage (NTSB Photo)
Photograph 2 – Empennage (NTSB Photo)
Photograph 3 – Nose Wheel and Fork (NTSB Photo)
Photograph 4 – Nose Gear Leg (NTSB Photo)
Photograph 5 – Nose Gear Leg (NTSB Photo)The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on September 4, 2024. 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 | NTSB Record of Interview - Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Interview Summary - FAA Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 6 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | NTSB Wreckage Examination Summary | PDF, 5 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.