Miller Glenn F RV-12 accident near Climax, NC

On April 11, 2023, a Miller Glenn F RV-12 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Climax, NC. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

April 11, 2023

Place

Climax, NC

Aircraft

Miller Glenn F RV-12 · Airplane

Injuries

1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

35.934°N, 79.684°W

NTSB ID

20230411107039

Official records · ERA23FA188

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn April 11, 2023, at 1132 eastern standard time, an experimental amateur-built RV-12 airplane, N543GM, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Climax, North Carolina. The commercial pilot seated in the left seat was fatally injured, and the commercial pilot in the right seat sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 test flight. According to the surviving pilot, the accident airplane was undergoing Phase 1 flight testing. On the morning of the accident, he flew one solo flight and returned to the departure airport. Shortly after, the other pilot boarded the airplane for the accident flight, the purpose of which was to perform aerodynamic stall testing. The airplane had 12 gallons of fuel on board, which was 93 octane fuel the pilot purchased from a gas station near the departure airport. The surviving pilot reported that the left-seat pilot was the pilot flying and the takeoff from runway 35 was normal. The airplane climbed to 400 ft above ground level, where the engine rpm dropped, the engine lost partial power, and the pilot made two left turns to fly southbound over the highway parallel to the runway (US Highway 421). While flying over the highway, both fuel pumps were on, and the surviving pilot reported that he was adjusting the mixture and throttle. The engine continued to produce partial power while they overflew the highway; however, an overpass bridge was located ahead of the airplane, along with a semi-truck that had stopped under the overpass. Additionally, multip

Probable cause

The airplane owner/builder’s inappropriate use of a lower grade fuel than that required by the airplane and engine operations manual, which resulted in engine detonation and the degradation and eventual obliteration of the Nos. 1 and 2 cylinder spark plug electrode tips. Contributing to the outcome was the pilots’ decision to continue flight at low altitude following a partial loss of engine power

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.