Van's RV 6 N616RV

Summary

On 5 December 2019 at about 22:20 local time, a Van's RV 6 registered N616RV was involved in an accident near Pima, Arizona, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 December 2019 at 22:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Pima, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

32.9019, -109.7867

Aircraft

Van's RV 6

Registration

N616RV

Category

Airplane

Year built

2000

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Safford → Safford

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR20LA040

2 people had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while the airplane was traveling westbound at 1,100 ft above the ground, the engine stopped producing power without warning. The propeller continued to windmill. The pilot initiated a 180° turn back toward the airport and attempted to restart the engine but was unable to do so. The pilot decided to land the airplane onto a nearby cotton field. When the airplane touched down, the landing gear sunk into the soft dirt, and nosed over. During a postaccident examination, the engine was able to be started, but it operated poorly and was smoking before it stopped producing power. Disassembly of the engine revealed that the two rotors and five of the six apex seals remained intact. The remaining apex seal was fractured in half. It was not possible to determine whether the apex seal fractured before or during the accident sequence. No other anomalies were revealed. The available evidence for this accident precluded a determination of whether the fractured apex seal caused the total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.