Van's RV 6 N90LK

Summary

On 29 April 2019 at about 21:13 local time, a Van's RV 6 registered N90LK was involved in an accident near Ridgefield, Washington, 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

29 April 2019 at 21:13

Classification

Accident

Location

Ridgefield, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Daybreak (W46)

Coordinates

45.7897, -122.6905

Aircraft

Van's RV 6

Registration

N90LK

Category

Airplane

Year built

1990

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Camas → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19FA124

2 people died.

The pilots' inadvertent exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack following an inflight collision with a bird.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and flight instructor were conducting a local flight as part of a flight review. Radar data showed that the airplane departed and proceeded to a nearby airport, where it entered the traffic pattern. The last recorded radar target was located abeam the end of the runway, at an altitude of about 500 ft above ground level. There were no known witnesses to the accident sequence. The airplane came to rest upright, partially submerged within a pond, about 1,000 ft from the approach end of the runway. Wreckage and impact signatures from surrounding terrain were consistent with a near-vertical impact. Examination revealed no anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. Bird remains were found on the right (outboard) arm/clothing of the flight instructor and within the engine compartment. The remains were identified as a species common to the accident locale. It is likely that a bird strike occurred while the airplane was maneuvering in the traffic pattern for landing, resulting in a breach of the canopy/windscreen. Given the lack of mechanical anomalies and the orientation of the wreckage, it is likely that the pilots became distracted and exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and loss of control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.