Sunday, June 11, 2017

Van's RV-6A, N32SN: Accident occurred January 14, 2015 at Pike County Airport (KPBX), Kentucky

Additional Participating Entity: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Louisville, Kentucky

Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf 

Investigation Docket  - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms

Aviation Accident Data Summary - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

NTSB Identification: ERA15CA100
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, January 14, 2015 in Pikeville, KY
Probable Cause Approval Date: 03/10/2015
Aircraft: SHANNON WILLIAM RV6A, registration: N32SN
Injuries: 1 Minor.

NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The pilot had purchased the airplane the day prior, and was returning to his home airport when he elected to stop at an intermediate airport for fuel. After crossing the runway threshold, the pilot reduced engine power and entered the landing flare. He felt the airplane "balloon up slightly, then stall and drop around 15 feet" onto the runway. The airplane impacted the runway, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane subsequently ran off the side of the runway, where it came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage to the rudder. Photographs of the airplane taken by the airport manager following the accident depicted the presence of rime ice along the leading edges of the wings, horizontal stabilizer, and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that he had not obtained a weather briefing, but had conducted a cursory review of enroute weather via an online vendor prior to the flight, and was not aware of icing conditions along his intended route of flight. He also stated there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to obtain a preflight weather briefing, and his subsequent flight into icing conditions, which resulted in the accumulation of ice on the airframe.

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