Rich RV-4 accident near Grand Junction, CO
On June 30, 2002, a Rich RV-4 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Grand Junction, CO. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 30, 2002
- Place
- Grand Junction, CO
- Aircraft
- Rich RV-4 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.025°N, 108.717°W
- NTSB ID
- 20020701X01017
Official records · DEN02LA063
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On June 30, 2002, at 0830 mountain daylight time, a Rich RV-4, N3344E, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed when the airplane departed controlled flight and impacted trees and terrain 8 miles west-southwest of Grand Junction, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot was fatally injured. The local flight was originating from a private airstrip at the time of the accident. A witness on the ground reported that the airplane took off behind another airplane on runway 05 at Pinyon Airstrip. The first airplane completed a farewell pass above runway 23 and was orbiting overhead. The witness said the accident airplane did a fly-by pass on a heading of 230 degrees. The witness said, "Near the west end of the runway, a sharp pull up was observed with the right wing low. It appeared the aircraft went inverted with the left wing coming up and over. Aircraft then righted, with a direction 90 degrees to the runway, descending and disappeared into the trees off the west end of the runway." The pilot in the first airplane said they both took off and then made a couple of passes over the airport to wave good-bye to their hosts. The lead pilot said he had finished his pass and was circling back on downwind when he saw the pilot's airplane hit the ground. An examination of the accident site revealed the airplane had impacted several pine trees before impacting the ground. The airplane's engine was broken downward at the mounts a
Probable cause
the pilot failing to maintain aircraft control during the pull up maneuver. A factor relating to the accident was the inadvertent stall spin.
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Browse: Colorado
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
