Amateur-built RV-8 accident near Grants Pass, Oregon, June 20, 2003
On June 20, 2003 at about 9:25 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-8, registered N863Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grants Pass, Oregon (Grants Pass airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Corrosion and contamination within the fuel servo unit and the pilot's delayed turn back to the runway. Contributing factors were trees and the pilot's impairment due to prescription medication.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 20, 2003 · about 9:25 pm local time
- Place
- Grants Pass, Oregon · Grants Pass · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-8
- Registration
- N863Y · no longer on the register · serial 80259
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/builder of the RV-8, in preparation for the sale of the aircraft, had been conducting taxi tests and power checks for several days before the accident. Additionally, the aircraft had not been flown in about a year. On the afternoon of the accident he departed runway 30 and shortly thereafter radioed that he was having engine problems and was going to try to make it back to the airport. Witnesses observed the aircraft midfield on downwind at the time these transmissions were made but the aircraft continued well past the abeam position and did not commence the base turn until about one-half mile beyond the abeam position. The aircraft struck scrub trees at the midspan location of each wing and then crashed in a lightly wooded area approximately 3,300 feet short of the threshold of runway 30. The cockpit interior space sustained no deformation or space reduction with the exception of an impact at the top edge of the aluminum glare shield, and the instrument panel was intact with no broken/cracked instrument glass. The pilot was found with his seatbelt fastened and his shoulder harness unfastened and behind him at the accident site. A review of the pilot's personal medical records revealed that the pilot was taking amitriptyline (a prescription antidepressant also known by the trade name Elavil) for insomnia, and hydrocodone (a prescription narcotic) for chronic abdominal pain. Nortriptyline (a prescription antidepressant and metabolite of amitriptyline) was found at very high levels in the pilot's blood. In addition, a low level of doxylamine (an over-the-counter sleep aid) was detected in the pilots blood and amitriptyline, nortriptyline, doxylamine, hydrocodone, and metabolites of hydrocodone were detected in his urine. Post-crash examination revealed no mechanical malfunction with the aircraft's powerplant, systems or controls with the exception of the aircraft's Bendix fuel servo which, upon disassembly, was found to have extensive internal corrosion and contamination.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 5,380 hours in all; 98 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 98.2 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 1, 2002; 15.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3S8 Grants Pass OR at 9:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 3,999 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; a few clouds at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from SXT, 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.
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.