Two Levers Over

Hanging upside down in a three-point harness certainly gives you a new perspective on flying. Especially if you are on the ground, in the grass, beside the runway. My first thought was unprintable, but my second thought was, How did that just happen?

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A pilot, with only six hours in a new, faster RV-8A, crashed during landing after mistakenly grabbing the mixture lever instead of the throttle when trying to correct a high sink rate in a crosswind, resulting in the plane flipping.
The incident occurred due to a lack of developed muscle memory for the new aircraft's controls, underscoring the high risk during the initial 100 hours in an unfamiliar plane.
The pilot learned the importance of extensive practice, especially go-arounds, to build correct muscle memory and prevent similar control confusion in critical situations.

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I had just bought a Van’s experimental RV-8A, and I was still learning the new controls and flight characteristics. I had just six hours in type and was landing at my home field, at 6000 feet msl elevation. The RV-8A is a faster, aerobatic plane with shorter wings and higher wing loading than the RV-12 I had most recently used, and I was still learning how quickly it would quit flying in the flare unless I kept my speed up and some power on.