Amateur-built RV 6 accident near Pickens, South Carolina, July 28, 2018
On July 28, 2018 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 1994 amateur-built RV 6, registered N24CM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Pickens, South Carolina (Pickens County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 2018 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pickens, South Carolina · Pickens County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV 6 Undesignat, built 1994
- Registration
- N24CM · registry record · serial 20835
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot in the tailwheel-equipped, experimental, amateur-built airplane, he had practiced two takeoffs and landings and then decided to refuel the airplane. After refueling the airplane, he flew one more pattern before flying to his home airport. The pilot stated that, during the landing flare, the airplane "seemed as if it was being pushed down." The left wing struck the runway, the airplane landed on the right main landing gear, and the airplane then bounced. The propeller struck the ground, and the airplane exited the right side of the runway and then stopped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing spar. The METAR at the airport about the time of the accident reported that the wind was calm. The pilot reported that there were no 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
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Runway excursion during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 752 hours in all; 48 in this make and model; 6.4 in the last 90 days; 2.2 in the last 30 days; 750 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 20, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,658.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 21, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D1A (piston); 1,659 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AVL Asheville NC at 2:00 pm
- Destination: AVL Asheville NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05, 5,002 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from KLQK
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 March 22, 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | 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.