Amateur-built RV-3A accident near Forest Grove, Oregon, October 8, 1995
On October 8, 1995 at about 11:40 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-3A, registered N27RV, was destroyed in an accident near Forest Grove, Oregon. 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
The pilot exceeded the design stress limit of the aircraft, followed by the failure of the right wing main spar.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 1995 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- Forest Grove, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-3A
- Registration
- N27RV · registry record · serial 27A1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the RV-3 initiated a steeply banked right turn, after following another aircraft in a rapid climbing maneuver. During this turn, which was described by witnesses on the ground as extremely tight, the right wing was seen to separate from the fuselage. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the front wing spar had failed just outboard of its attach fitting, and the rear spar and rear spar doubler plate experienced a overstress separation through the attach bolt hole. The recording accelerometer found in the wreckage was indicating .2 G's more than the 9 G ultimate load limit published by the designer of the RV-3 aircraft plans.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,892 hours in all; 26 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 892 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 11, 1995; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 10R3 North Plains OR at 11:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.