Moul Willis RV-3 N9YY

Summary

On 11 December 2021 at about 20:30 local time, a Moul Willis RV-3 registered N9YY, operated by Wallace James A, was involved in an accident near Bermuda Dunes, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 December 2021 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Bermuda Dunes, California, United States

Coordinates

33.7402, -116.2958

Aircraft

Moul Willis RV-3

Registration

N9YY

Category

Airplane

Year built

1996

Engines

1

Operator

Wallace James A

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bermuda Dunes → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22LA061

1 person died.

The pilot’s improper positioning of the fuel shutoff valve, which resulted in a loss of engine power, and the pilot’s subsequent exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed on a local flight in the experimental, amateur-built airplane. Flight track information indicated that the airplane departed and climbed to a maximum altitude of about 712 ft above ground level. One witness saw the airplane and described the engine noise as loud. As the airplane turned toward her location, she saw that the propeller blades were spinning slower than she thought they should. Another witness, who was closer to the accident site, saw the airplane at low altitude but could not hear the engine noise. A third witness captured video showing the airplane first in level flight, then its pitch attitude increased, and the airplane entered a right bank. The right bank continued past 90° as the airplane entered a nose-low descent. The airplane impacted a palm tree about 35 ft agl about 3 minutes after takeoff and came to rest upright in the driveway of a private residence. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation; however, the fuel shutoff valve was found in an intermediate position that restricted fuel flow about 50%. Based on the available information, it is likely that the pilot’s improper positioning of the fuel shutoff valve resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power during the takeoff climb as evidenced by the absence of engine noise in the witness video. The pilot subsequently exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack, resulting in an aerodynamic stall/spin and loss of control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.