Amateur-built RV8-A N69LM accident near Cleveland, Georgia

Probable cause

A nose landing gear collapse on landing and subsequent nose over.

NTSB analysis

After completing a local flight, the pilot recalled the direction of landing required a steep descent during the final approach due to tall trees at the approach end of the runway. The pilot otherwise did not recall any of the details of the accident following the short final segment of the landing approach. A witness described, and surveillance video confirmed, that the airplane touched down, experienced a “very short” bounce, and then impacted the turf runway nose landing gear first, resulting in the nose landing gear collapsing and the airplane nosing over. The airplane’s fuselage, empennage, and right wing sustained substantial damage during the accident sequence.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA25LA042 for the full record.