Villarubia RV-6 N242EV

Summary

On 23 January 2006, a Villarubia RV-6 registered N242EV was involved in an accident near Decatur, Nebraska, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 January 2006

Classification

Accident

Location

Decatur, Nebraska, United States

Coordinates

41.7636, -96.1781

Aircraft

Villarubia RV-6

Registration

N242EV

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Decatur → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI06LA071

1 person died.

An inflight collision with the terrain for undetermined reasons.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane impacted the terrain in an open field. There were no known witnesses to the accident. The pilot's wife reported that she last saw him between 1120 and 1130 on the day of the accident. The pilot had told her that he was going to fly and that this was probably going to be his last flight in the airplane as he was preparing to sell the airplane. The pilot kept the airplane in a building on his farm and routinely used a gravel road near the farm for taking off and landing. One of the pilot's neighbors reported that he saw the pilot around 1130 in the building where he kept the airplane. He stated they waved to each other, but did not speak. This same neighbor found the wreckage in the field which was located about 1/2 mile from the pilot's farm. The airplane impacted the terrain in a nose down attitude and bounced about 15 feet prior to coming to rest. The propeller and left main gear were located at the initial point of impact with the terrain. The underside of the leading edges of both wings were crushed at a near 45-degree angle. Both fuel tanks were ruptured. Aileron, elevator, and rudder flight control continuity was established, however the rudder cables were bound up under the cockpit flooring due to impact damage. The propeller hub was separated from the engine and was buried approximately 12-inches deep in the ground at the initial impact site. Both blades were twisted and remained attached to the hub. Post accident inspection of the airplane and engine failed to reveal any failure/malfunction which would have resulted in the accident. The pilot was denied a medical certificate due to a history of malignant melanoma with metastasis. According to the pilot's wife he was recently informed that the cancer had spread and he had four to six months to live.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.