Van's RV6 N196DJ

Summary

On 11 September 2020 at about 13:30 local time, a Van's RV6 registered N196DJ was involved in an accident near Melbourne, Florida, 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

11 September 2020 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Melbourne, Florida, United States

Coordinates

28.0000, -80.0000

Aircraft

Van's RV6

Registration

N196DJ

Category

Airplane

Year built

1995

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Valkaria → Valkaria

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA20LA316

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/owner had recently purchased the experimental amateur-built airplane following a nearly decade long period of disuse. After spending several weeks inspecting the airplane and addressing minor maintenance issues, he flew the airplane for about 6 hours and noted no issues with the engine. Several days before the accident he changed the engine oil and removed about 1/2 teaspoon of carbon deposits and “sludge” from the oil screen. On the day of the accident, the pilot flew the airplane offshore and was performing maneuvers when the engine suddenly lost all power and the propeller stopped rotating. The pilot then performed a forced landing to a beach during which the and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that there was substantial oil streaking along the underside of the fuselage and that the propeller was not free to rotate without the application of additional leverage. Additionally, while the quantity of engine oil that remained was insufficient to sustain engine operation, the oil drained from the engine was absent of ferrous metal or other contaminates. Disassembly of the engine revealed that the oil pressure relief valve spring was corroded, pitted, and broken. Additionally, while internal engine components displayed signatures consistent with inadequate lubrication, no failures or damage that would have resulted in sudden engine stoppage were observed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.