Zidek VANS RV-4 N999ZF

Summary

On 17 October 2015 at about 13:41 local time, a Zidek VANS RV-4 registered N999ZF was involved in an accident near Cortland, Nebraska, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 October 2015 at 13:41

Classification

Accident

Location

Cortland, Nebraska, United States

Coordinates

40.4950, -96.7647

Aircraft

Zidek VANS RV-4

Registration

N999ZF

Category

Airplane

Year built

1996

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Crete → Lincoln

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN16FA014

2 people died.

The pilot's decision to intentionally maneuver at a low altitude and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the climbing right turn, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot and passenger were conducting a personal flight in the single-engine airplane. According to available radar data and an interview with the pilot's brother, the pilot completed several intentional low-altitude passes (at or below 100 ft above the ground) over his brother's property/residence. The pilot's brother, who witnessed the accident, stated that following the final low pass, the airplane pitched up into a climbing right turn. He stated that, during the climbing turn, the airplane suddenly pitched nose-down and descended rapidly. The airplane recovered briefly to a wings-level attitude before the wings rocked left and right and the airplane entered a descending right turn into terrain. A postaccident examination established that the airplane had crashed in a nose-low attitude and was destroyed by impact and postimpact fire damage. The examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane during the flight. Based on the witness description and the impact geometry, it is likely that the pilot did not maintain adequate airspeed during the climbing right turn, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude. Due to the pilot's decision to intentionally maneuver at a low altitude, there was insufficient altitude to fully recover from the aerodynamic stall before impact.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.