Mayo RV-6A N413RV

Summary

On 23 June 2009 at about 15:30 local time, a Mayo RV-6A registered N413RV, operated by Philip H. Rajca, was involved in an accident near Cottonwood, Arizona, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 June 2009 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Cottonwood, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Cottonwood Airport (P52)

Coordinates

34.7300, -112.0350

Aircraft

Mayo RV-6A

Registration

N413RV

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Philip H. Rajca

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cottonwood → Cottonwood

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR09LA308

2 people died.

The partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, and the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Witnesses reported hearing the accident airplane's engine sputter during the takeoff climb. The airplane's nose appeared to pitch down, level, then witnesses heard a high pitch revving sound emanating from the engine. The airplane rocked back-and-forth, the left wing dropped, and it entered a nose dive before impacting the ground. A postaccident inspection of the accident site revealed the airplane impacted the ground in a nose down attitude, with the propeller assembly separating from the crankshaft and becoming embedded in the hard desert dirt. An examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.