N646RVTrom Wayne VANS RV6A · 2009

On September 16, 2022, about 1335 mountain standard time , an experimental amateur-built Van’s RV-6A, N646RV, was destroyed when it crashed near Aztec, Arizona. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

Automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) and OpsVue data indicated the flight departed Brown Field Municipal Airport (SDM), San Diego, California, at 1209. The flight flew easterly, parallel to Interstate 8 (I-8), and maintained an altitude of about 7,300 ft mean sea level (msl) and 125 knots until it neared Aztec, Arizona. At 1331:19 airspeed and altitude began decreasing. The flight subsequently maneuvered away from I-8 for about one mile and then turned east and south-east before the ADS-B data ended in the vicinity of the accident location at 1334:28 (Figure 1). The airplane impacted desert terrain about one mile north of I-8 and was destroyed by post-impact fire. There was no evidence the pilot declared an emergency or made any radio calls before the accident.

Figure 1 – Flight Track

No pilot logbooks were located during the investigation.

The wreckage was examined on site. Impact signatures were limited to a single impact crater, where the nose of the airplane hit terrain and where the wreckage came to rest upright, consistent with a nose-low attitude at impact. The fuselage, wings, and cockpit sections of the airplane were mostly consumed by post-impact fire. All flight control surfaces were identified in the wreckage. Flight control continuity could not be verified due to fire damage. All cockpit instrumentation was consumed by fire. See Figure 2.

Figure 2 – Wreckage

Portions of the wood propeller remained. Fractures of the propeller blade remnants indicated breakage in an aft direction. Impact marks were identified on the engine starter housing that matched the starter ring teeth. The impact marks were in an aft direction and showed little or no rotational movement (Figure 3).

Figure 3 – Starter Impact Marks

The engine was examined and disassembled. Each cylinder, piston, and the crankshaft and bearings were removed. There were no signatures or conditions observed during the examination that would indicate there was any pre-mishap catastrophic mechanical malfunction. Impact and fire damage prevented any examination of the fuel, air intake, electrical, and ignition systems.

The pilot reported that during the landing roll in gusting, variable wind conditions, the airplane "suddenly" made a "strong" turn to the left. The airplane exited the runway to the left and the pilot applied left rudder to avoid hitting the windsock pole. The airplane entered tall grass, the nose wheel hit a hole, and the nose landing gear collapsed.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the engine or airframe that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and left wing during the accident.