Amateur-built RV-6A accident near Harrisonburg, Virginia, August 4, 2007
On August 4, 2007 at about 1:00 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-6A, registered N596JB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Harrisonburg, Virginia (Private Strip 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 limited fork-to-ground clearance provided by the nose gear design. Contributing to the accident was the uneven turf/dirt surface of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 2007 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Harrisonburg, Virginia · Private Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-6A
- Registration
- N596JB · no longer on the register · serial 24723
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the RV-6A flew from his home airport to a private turf strip. The flight and initial portion of the landing were uneventful. During the latter part of the landing rollout the nose gear fork caught in a rut, the strut deformed, and the airplane nosed over onto its back. Two years prior to the accident, the kit manufacturer re-designed the nose gear for this airplane in an effort to reduce susceptibility to noseover events. The accident airplane was not equipped with the new-design nose gear leg and fork.
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
- Flight time: 715 hours in all; 570 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 568 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 570 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, December 1, 2006; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Mattituck TMX IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: W13 Waynesboro VA at 12:40 pm
- Destination: NONE Harrisonburg VA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 28, 1,400 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 1:20 pm from SHD, 12 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 N596JB 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.