Amateur-built VANS RV8 accident near Hamilton, Montana, December 5, 2021
On December 5, 2021 at about 6:30 pm local time, a 2018 amateur-built VANS RV8, registered N889WT, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Hamilton, Montana (Ravallit 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 pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while landing with a crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 5, 2021 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hamilton, Montana · Ravallit · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VANS RV8, built 2018
- Registration
- N889WT · registry record · serial 83469
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tail wheel equipped airplane reported that, during the landing roll with a crosswind, the airplane began to swerve left and right as the tail wheel started to come down. The airplane the veered left off the runway onto the grass and collided with a ditch. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 630 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 630 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 15, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 100 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 1, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Superior IO 360 (piston); 100 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 32S Stevensville MT at 6:00 pm
- Destination: 6S5 Hamilton MT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 35, 4,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from KHLN, 91 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KHLN 051753Z 07006KT 10SM SCT060 M02/M08 A3019 RMK AO2 SLP265 T10171083 10017 21033 51030 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 8, 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View 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.