Amateur-built RV-6 accident near Snyder, Texas, October 17, 2003
On October 17, 2003 at about 5:00 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-6, registered N3XS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Snyder, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the propeller blade for undetermined reason. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2003 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Snyder, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-6
- Registration
- N3XS · registry record · serial CP001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 727-hour private pilot reported that the engine developed a "severe" vibration when the airplane was at about 5,000 feet agl, approximately 15 miles east from the airport. The pilot pulled the throttle back to try to stop the vibration, then pulled the mixture, and pulled the nose up to stop the propeller. He located a pasture to land in; however, he did not see the terraces cut in the pasture that he hit when he landed. He hit the first one and went airborne again, hitting a second one ripping the nose gear back and landing on the nose of the airplane. A tip of one propeller blade was missing and that could not be 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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 727 hours in all; 622 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 683 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 17, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 622 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 12, 2003; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,850 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-AIA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AFW Fort Worth TX at 1:00 pm
- Destination: LRU Las Cruces NM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 8 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.32 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.