Trom Wayne VANS RV6A accident near Aztec, AZ
On September 16, 2022, a Trom Wayne VANS RV6A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Aztec, AZ. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 16, 2022
- Place
- Aztec, AZ
- Aircraft
- Trom Wayne VANS RV6A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 32.850°N, 113.363°W
- NTSB ID
- 20220916105955
Official records · WPR22FA348
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 16, 2022, about 1335 mountain standard time , an experimental amateur-built Van’s RV-6A, N646RV, was destroyed when it crashed near Aztec, Arizona. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) and OpsVue data indicated the flight departed Brown Field Municipal Airport (SDM), San Diego, California, at 1209. The flight flew easterly, parallel to Interstate 8 (I-8), and maintained an altitude of about 7,300 ft mean sea level (msl) and 125 knots until it neared Aztec, Arizona. At 1331:19 airspeed and altitude began decreasing. The flight subsequently maneuvered away from I-8 for about one mile and then turned east and south-east before the ADS-B data ended in the vicinity of the accident location at 1334:28 (Figure 1). The airplane impacted desert terrain about one mile north of I-8 and was destroyed by post-impact fire. There was no evidence the pilot declared an emergency or made any radio calls before the accident. Figure 1 – Flight Track PERSONNEL INFORMATIONNo pilot logbooks were located during the investigation. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe wreckage was examined on site. Impact signatures were limited to a single impact crater, where the nose of the airplane hit terrain and where the wreckage came to rest upright, consistent with a nose-low attitude at impact. The fuselage, wings, and cockpit sections of the airplane were mostly consumed by post-impact fire. All flight control surfaces were i
Probable cause
The total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to turn away from a suitable emergency landing surface, his failure to maintain adequate airspeed as the airplane neared the ground, and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
More accidents in AZ
- De Havilland DHC-6-300, Sep 27, 1989
- Cessna 402C, Jun 19, 1992
- Piper PA-31-350, Aug 17, 1983
- Piper PA-31-350, Feb 13, 1995
- Cessna 421C, Sep 2, 1995
Browse: Arizona
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
