Amateur-built AEROCOMP CA6WB accident near White Post, Virginia, November 18, 2000
On November 18, 2000 at about 3:41 pm local time, a amateur-built AEROCOMP CA6WB, registered N8181L, was substantially damaged in an accident near White Post, Virginia (White Post 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 inadequate preflight. Also causal in the accident was the under-inflated tire that flattened and locked during landing, and collapsed the nose landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 2000 · about 3:41 pm local time
- Place
- White Post, Virginia · White Post · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AEROCOMP CA6WB AEROCOMP C
- Registration
- N8181L · no longer on the register · serial 97159
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The homebuilt airplane touched down on the turf runway, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over. Both the pilot and the witness stated the main gear touched down first, then the nose gear. The pilot said the nose tire appeared to lock during the landing, but was free to rotate after the accident. Disassembly of the nose gear revealed the threaded end of the wheel-pant mount screw on the right side rested 1/8 of an inch from the sidewall of the tire. Circumferential scoring of the tire was noted directly across from the screw. The swiveling attach point for the wheel mount was forward of the tire. The distance from the swivel-mount bolt to the ground was 4 inches. The distance from the bottom of the wheel rim to the tire's contact patch was 4 inches. Tire pressure was measured at 11 psi. According to a vendor for the tire manufacturer, the tire pressure recommended for the nose-wheel tire was 50 psi.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 17, 2000; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OKV Winchester VA at 2:05 pm
- Destination: 3VA7 White Post VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 220, 2,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:40 pm from OKV, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N8181L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.