Amateur-built VANS RV-8 accident near Independence, Oregon, May 7, 2000
On May 7, 2000 at about 3:01 pm local time, a amateur-built VANS RV-8, registered N998TT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Independence, Oregon (Independence State 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The rotation of the right fuel tank elbow fitting within the tank during previous maintenance. The improper alignment resulted in the fuel pick-up tube being mis-positioned and a subsequent starvation of fuel to the engine. Contributing factors were the non-installation of an anti-rotation bracket to secure the elbow fitting, the kit manufacturer's failure to issue a notice of the bracket design to previous aircraft owners, and the pilot's not establishing/maintaining a proper rate of descent resulting in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 7, 2000 · about 3:01 pm local time
- Place
- Independence, Oregon · Independence State · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VANS RV-8
- Registration
- N998TT · registry record · serial 80326
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Approximately 100 feet above ground level the engine of the pilot/builder assembled RV-8 kit-plane began to run rough. The pilot made a left 90 degree turn to return to land during which all power was lost. He then turned back right and landed hard, collapsing the landing gear. Fueling records revealed approximately 10 gallons of fuel in the right tank per the pilot's estimate. Post-crash examination revealed that the fuel pick-up tube within the right tank had become mis-positioned (twisted) approximately 180 degrees, placing the tube pick-up end at the mid-level of the 21 gallon tank, and resulting in fuel starvation. The pilot had done maintenance on the right tank several weeks earlier including tightening a hex nut which retained the 90-degree elbow fitting holding the pick-up tube in place. Tightening of the hex nut without an anti-rotation bracket could rotate the pick-up tube into a mis-position. The aircraft design and construction predated the dissemination of design plans containing the anti-rotation bracket, and the manufacturer had not issued any notice of the bracket specifications to the pilot/builder. The pilot/builder, unaware of the specifications, had not installed the bracket in the right fuel tank.
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: 1,285 hours in all; 231 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,228 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 231 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 31, 1999; 86 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Aerosport O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7S5 at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 3,070 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from SLE, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 SEA00LA084.