Amateur-built RV 7 accident near Death Valley National Park, California, January 14, 2018
On January 14, 2018, a 2005 amateur-built RV 7, registered N4163B, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Death Valley National Park, California (Furnace Creek airport). 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 pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during the landing flare, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 14, 2018
- Place
- Death Valley National Park, California · Furnace Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV 7 A, built 2005
- Registration
- N4163B · registry record · serial 884163
- 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, during the landing flare, about 2 to 3 ft above the ground, he reduced power, and the airplane aerodynamically stalled. The airplane landed hard and then bounced, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane then came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the canopy and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during landing defining event
- Hard landing during landing
- Landing gear collapse during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 504 hours in all; 325 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 469 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 7, 2013
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 324.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 (piston); 324 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O26 Lone Pine CA
- Destination: L06 Death Valley National Park CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 3,065 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from KDRA, 42 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
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 1, 2018. 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 | Accident 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.