No fatalities

19 Aug 2019: Vans RV7 A — Ocracoke, NC

Ocracoke, NC, United States

On 19 Aug 2019, a Vans RV7 A was involved in an aviation accident near Ocracoke, NC. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain lateral control during an attempted aborted landing, which resulted in impact with trees. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During a landing approach, the pilot executed a go-around after the airplane drifted left of the runway. The airplane pitched up, continued drifting, and struck trees, resulting in substantial damage.

Accident Sequence

The pilot reported that during the first approach to land, the airplane was high, and he aborted the landing. During the second approach, the airplane was again high, and he used a forward slip to descend. Upon crossing the runway threshold, he realized the airplane was drifting left of the runway. He again aborted the landing and applied full power. The airplane pitched up, continued to drift left, and impacted trees.

Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, left and right wings, and empennage.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Weather Conditions

An airport's automated weather observation station located 19 miles to the northeast reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 230° at 6 knots. The pilot was landing the airplane on runway 6.

Contributing factors

Lateral/bank control — Not attained/maintainedPilotEffect on operation