Pilot Debrief

VANS RV6 near Show Low, AZ — 2021-12-22

Final reportWPR22FA067
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Date
2021-12-22
Location
Show Low, AZ, USA
Airport
SOW
Aircraft
VANS RV6
Registration
N6000Z
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
2
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack following an aborted landing approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control at an altitude too low for recovery.

NTSB narrative

Witnesses reported that a high-wing airplane and a low-wing airplane were on final approach for landing to the same runway, with the high-wing airplane ahead of and slightly below the low-wing airplane. An airport employee stated that the pilot of the high-wing airplane was making position reports over the airport’s common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF), but the pilot of the low-wing airplane was not. The employee transmitted via the CTAF that there were two airplanes on final approach, at which time the pilot of the high-wing airplane aborted the landing. That pilot reported that he never saw the other airplane. The pilot of the low-wing airplane (accident airplane) subsequently transmitted that he had been using the wrong radio frequency and aborted the landing approach, entering a right turn away from the runway at low altitude. Witnesses reported that, during the turn, the accident airplane entered a nose-low descent that continued until it impacted the ground. The airplane impacted terrain in a near-vertical, nose-down attitude. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the available information, it is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering away from the runway during the aborted landing approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control at an altitude too low for recovery. It is possible that the high-density altitude conditions and the distraction of looking for conflicting traffic may have contributed to the accident.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have maintained altitude and avoided the turn toward the Cessna.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 9 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents9

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