Amateur-built RV-8 accident near Wickenburg, Arizona, November 2, 2013
On November 2, 2013 at about 6:41 pm local time, a 2007 amateur-built RV-8, registered N391V, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Wickenburg, Arizona (Wickenburg Muni 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 fatigue failure of a propeller pitch change pin due to excessive shot peening of the pin’s surface during the manufacturing process.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 2, 2013 · about 6:41 pm local time
- Place
- Wickenburg, Arizona · Wickenburg Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-8, built 2007
- Registration
- N391V · registry record · serial 82195
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during cruise flight, he felt a sustained vibration, which he thought was from the engine or propeller, and that the airplane then started to slow down. The pilot made a forced landing to the desert, and the airplane came to rest on its nose, which caused substantial damage to the airplane. A postaccident engine run and subsequent engine examination revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The propeller examination revealed that one of the propeller pitch change pins had broken. The pin's fracture would have resulted in the sustained vibration and loss of speed reported by the pilot. A metallurgical examination of the pin revealed that it had failed due to a fatigue crack that had progressed through about 70 percent of the pin. The fatigue crack initiated at dimples that had a depth and width consistent with excessive shot peening, which likely occurred during the manufacturing process.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller hub section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Organizational issues › Development › Manufacture/production › (general) › Manufacturer
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,342 hours in all; 652 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 1,281 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 30, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 652 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, December 7, 2012
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Superior XP-10-360-B1A (piston); 652 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E25 Wickenburg AZ at 6:03 pm
- Destination: E25 Wickenburg AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 14 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 6:35 pm from BXK, 33 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.