Amateur-built RV-8 incident near Leesburg, Virginia, October 22, 2002
On October 22, 2002 at about 9:00 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-8, registered N184CM, was involved in an incident near Leesburg, Virginia (Leesburg Executive 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
A low-stress, high-cycle fatigue fracture of the right ignition timing rotor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 22, 2002 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Leesburg, Virginia · Leesburg Executive Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-8
- Registration
- N184CM · registry record · serial 80338
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in the traffic pattern, the engine backfired a few times. After landing, and while taxiing to the ramp, the pilot determined that the right ignition source was working intermittently. He was unable to replace the right ignition source and departed the following day. As the airplane made a normal descent into the final destination airport, the pilot discovered the right ignition source was "completely dead." The pilot had replaced both magnetos with a Dual Lightspeed Plasma II ignition system with Hall Effect Sensor Modules. After landing at the final destination airport, the pilot removed the back plate of the right Hall Effect sensor module and found that the timing rotor had fractured, and that the internal face of the back plate exhibited rotational scoring. Subsequent Safety Board examination revealed that the timing rotor had failed due to low-stress, high-cycle fatigue. According to the manufacturer, 400 timing rotors were in use, and there were no reported failures.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,016 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 940 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 28, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 27 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 14, 2002; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-AIA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4W1 Elizabethtown NC at 7:00 pm
- Destination: JYO Leesburg VA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from MRB, 27 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number IAD03IA017.