Amateur-built RV-8 N184KS accident near Valera, Texas

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during a forced landing, which led to an aerodynamic stall, following a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's mismanagement of fuel and the low altitude at which the power loss occurred.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was performing low passes over a private ranch. The airplane was fueled the day before the accident with 17.4 gallons of fuel and had a 42-gallon fuel capacity. The pilot had commented to his wife prior to the accident that he didn't want a full fuel load for the flyover. After the pilot refueled, he flew the airplane for at least an hour that day and for an undetermined amount of time the day of the flyover. The pilot planned for and flew three low-altitude passes, ending each pass with a pull-up. During the pull-up from the third pass, the airplane was seen to roll to the left followed by a steep dive into a car parking area. The airplane turned approximately 270 degrees from the start of the pull-up until it impacted the ground. An examination of the airplane showed no evidence of aviation fuel at the accident site, in the airplane's fuel tanks, or in the engine fuel lines. The propeller and engine case damage was consistent with that of an engine not developing power at impact. The engine manual states that the engine burn rate is approximately 9.5 gallons per hour in economy cruise flight and 12.3 gallons per hour in performance cruise flight.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for DEN08LA119 for the full record.