Amateur-built RV9 accident near Lake Elsinore, California, October 4, 2019
On October 4, 2019 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 2004 amateur-built RV9, registered N192DP, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Lake Elsinore, California (Skylark Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for taxi, which resulted in the landing gear collapsing and a nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 4, 2019 · about 7:00 pm local time · cases in 2019
- Place
- Lake Elsinore, California · Skylark Field · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV9 A, built 2004
- Registration
- N192DP · registry record · serial 90411
- 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, after landing on a dirt runway and while taxiing down the runway to the parking area, the nose landing gear encountered soft terrain and collapsed, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and rudder. 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
- Miscellaneous/other during taxi
- Landing gear collapse during taxi defining event
- Nose over/nose down during taxi
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft surface › Effect on equipment
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft surface › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 56 hours in all; 7.1 in this make and model; 24.7 in the last 90 days; 15.3 in the last 30 days; 20 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 512.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 28, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D25 (piston); 530 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 67L Mesquite NV
- Destination: CA89 Lake Elsinore CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11L, 2,800 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 6:58 pm from KRIV, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
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
2 documents, released by the NTSB on December 5, 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 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N192DP on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D25 27,304 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Skylark Airport · nearest airport
- Mesquite Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,094 in the last ten years
- California 28,286 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/GAA20CA003.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.