Morrison Marvin E Jr RV 6A N4269Y

Summary

On 27 May 2018 at about 23:00 local time, a Morrison Marvin E Jr RV 6A registered N4269Y was involved in an accident near Petaluma, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 May 2018 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Petaluma, California, United States

Nearest airport

Petaluma Municipal (O69)

Coordinates

38.2653, -122.6117

Aircraft

Morrison Marvin E Jr RV 6A

Registration

N4269Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

1996

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Petaluma → Lincoln

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR18FA150

2 people died.

A partial loss of engine power during initial climb after takeoff due to a loose left magneto, and the pilot's decision to turn back to the airport and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and impact with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was departing in his experimental, amateur-built airplane. During the initial climb, when the airplane was between 500 to 800 ft above ground level, the engine backfired several times before losing power. The airplane entered a 180° turn back toward the airport; however, during the second half of the turn, the bank angle increased, and the airspeed slowed. The airplane entered an aerodynamic stall and spin and subsequently impacted terrain. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the left magneto was loose on its mounting pad and free to rotate by hand. This would have resulted in erratic engine-to-magneto timing for that magneto and would likely account for the engine backfiring and the partial loss of engine power. There were no additional mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. No maintenance records were recovered, and whether any magneto-related maintenance was performed before the accident could not be determined. The area beyond the departure end of the runway comprised a golf course and open fields that would have been favorable for a straight-ahead, forced landing. The pilot's decision to turn back toward the runway at low altitude and his subsequent exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during the turn resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and a loss of control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.