Amateur-built VANS RV-8 accident near Tehachapi, California, July 24, 2020
On July 24, 2020 at about 6:59 pm local time, a 2018 amateur-built VANS RV-8, registered N138PM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Tehachapi, California (Tehachapi Municipal 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
The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at too low of an altitude to recover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 2020 · about 6:59 pm local time
- Place
- Tehachapi, California · Tehachapi Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VANS RV-8 Undesignat, built 2018
- Registration
- N138PM · no longer on the register · serial 81895
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported that the accident airplane made a straight-in approach to land. The airplane touched down onto the runway tailwheel first and oscillated between its tailwheel and main landing gear several times. It then tipped up onto the left main gear and turned toward the right edge of the runway surface. The pilot initiated an aborted landing and according to a witness, the airplane lifted off quickly but made a "perceivably slow" turn to a left crosswind. The nose of the airplane was "alarmingly" high, and the airplane did not appear to be accelerating. The left turn steepened as the airplane descended behind buildings in a nose-up attitude with the wings wobbling. The engine "cut out" and, almost immediately thereafter. they heard the impact. The airframe and engine examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Recorded data from the airplane was consistent with what the witnesses reported. The engine power never exceeded 67%, which is likely why the airplane did not appear to accelerate during the takeoff; however, this would not have resulted in the loss of control. Given the reported nose-high attitude and steep left turn, it is likely the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack and that it stalled at an altitude too low for the pilot to recover before it impacted the building.
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 control on ground during landing defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (aborted after touchdown)
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 92 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AE-IO-360-A1E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WHP Los Angeles CA at 6:26 pm
- Destination: TSP Tehachapi CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 29, 4,040 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 am from KTSP, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
15 documents, released by the NTSB on June 1, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cockpit Displays - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Attachment 1 to Cockpit Displays - Specialist's Factual Report | data file | Download |
| 3 | Attachment 2 to Cockpit Displays - Specialist's Factual Report | data file | Download |
| 4 | Witness Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Record of Email - Wingman Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Record of Conversation - FAA Regarding on Scene Observations | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Airframe and Engine Examination | PDF, 15 pages | View Download |
| 8 | radar Data | map file | Download |
| 9 | Record of Memorandum - Autopsy | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Evidence Control Form | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 11 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 12 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 13 | On Scene Photos - Courtesy of the FAA and Air Transport | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 14 | Video File - View of Runway | AVI file | Download |
| 15 | Video File - View of Final Descent | AVI file | Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.
