Amateur-built RV-6A accident near Live Oak, Florida, April 19, 2006
On April 19, 2006 at about 5:45 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-6A, registered N8117Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Live Oak, Florida (Suwannee Belle Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing resulting in a nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 19, 2006 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Live Oak, Florida · Suwannee Belle Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-6A
- Registration
- N8117Q · no longer on the register · serial 25227
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he attempted a normal landing on runway 2 with winds out of the west. With the winds gusting over trees, he noticed the airplane drifting at the flare. The winds were pushing the airplane off the east side of the runway. He instinctively corrected with rudder and aileron, but did not add power. The airplane landed in a crab position, bending the nose strut, allowing the propeller to dig into the ground. The airplane slid approximately 30 feet until the airplane flipped and came to a stop. The pilot stated there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions to the airplane or any of its systems prior to the accident.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,147 hours in all; 384 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 24J Live Oak FL
- Destination: 9FLO Live Oak FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 002, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from 40J
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 N8117Q 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.