Vans RV4 accident near Chattahoochee, FL
On October 31, 2021, a Vans RV4 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Chattahoochee, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 31, 2021
- Place
- Chattahoochee, FL
- Aircraft
- Vans RV4 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 30.649°N, 84.723°W
- NTSB ID
- 20211031104184
Official records · ERA22FA036
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 31, 2021, about 1320 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Vans RV-4, N479JJ, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Chattahoochee, Florida. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot departed Tallahassee International Airport (TLH), Tallahassee, Florida, about 1303 destined for Monroe County Aeroplex Airport (MVC), Monroeville, Alabama. After departure, an air traffic controller terminated radar services and approved the pilot to change radio frequencies. About 17 minutes later, radar contact was lost. According to automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the airplane climbed northbound to about 3,000 ft mean sea level (msl) after departure, then it turned right about 90° to the east, then back to the north. The airplane descended to about 2,500 ft and overflew Lake Jackson then headed westbound before turning northwest bound. The airplane’s altitude varied between about 2,000 and 2,500 ft. As the airplane flew about .70 nautical miles southwest of Mount Pleasant, it began to lose groundspeed and began turning left and descending, then gaining groundspeed while continuing to descend. Radar contact with the airplane was lost about 17 minutes after takeoff. The last data track showed the airplane at 650 ft and a groundspeed of 172 knots. An off-duty law enforcement officer was doing yardwork at his house when the airplane’s bubble-style canopy fell in his
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to properly secure the canopy before takeoff, allowing the canopy to open and then separate in flight, which resulted in the pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.
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Browse: Florida · Vans aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
