Vans RV6 accident near Colonial Beach, VA
On June 7, 2023, a Vans RV6 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Colonial Beach, VA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 7, 2023
- Place
- Colonial Beach, VA
- Aircraft
- Vans RV6 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.118°N, 76.974°W
- NTSB ID
- 20230607192326
Official records · ERA23FA260
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On June 7, 2023, at 1015 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Vans RV-6, N835BC, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Colonial Beach, Virginia. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. A witness reported that, after an overnight visit, he dropped the pilot and passenger off at a neighbor’s private airstrip about 0945 for their flight home. He then returned to his house and, about 30 minutes later when he was standing in his driveway, he watched the airplane make two circles around his house. On the second circle, the airplane was very steep, “knife-edge” bank in a tight circle about 100 ft above the ground. The nose of the airplane then dropped and the airplane impacted the ground beside his driveway in a near-vertical attitude. He stated the engine was “running well the entire time.” The owner of the grass airstrip reported a similar account. The accident site was located between a driveway and corn field at a personal residence about 1/2 mile from the private, unregistered airport from which it departed. The airplane impacted the ground in a nose-down attitude and came to rest upright, oriented on a magnetic heading of 345°. A postimpact fire consumed most of the airplane. The wreckage site was compact and all major components of the airplane were located at the accident site. Both wings were accordion-crushed aft and remained attached to the fuselage. The right wing flap was separated and located behind the main wreckage. The right aileron w
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.
More accidents in VA
- Boeing 757-200, Sep 11, 2001
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Browse: Virginia · 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.
