RV6 - final report - N835BC

[A2022]

N835BC







COLONIAL BEACH, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia State Police is currently investigating another plane crash in Virginia — this time in Colonial Beach in Westmoreland County.

Around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 7, state troopers were called to the area of 687 Layton Landing Road for a reported plane crash.

According to police, a Vans R6 model single-engine plane crashed in a cornfield near a driveway, then caught fire.

The pilot — identified as 28-year-old Logan Edward Woodworth of Wilmington, North Carolina — and his passenger — 57-year-old Bruce Edward Woodworth of Wilmington, North Carolina — were both confirmed dead at the scene.

[A2022]

well, low altitude maneuvering strikes again. I've lost count of how many times this has happened with RV's. RV flyers seem particularly susceptible to this type of accident. Pilot experience....355 hours (Total, all aircraft).

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/ ... 192326/pdf

The pilot and passenger were flying back to their home airport after an overnight stay with some friends. A witness, and friend of the pilot and passenger, stated he watched the airplane as it made two circles around his house. On the second circle, he noticed the airplane was in a very steep bank angle and making a tight circle about 100 ft above the ground. He then noticed the nose of the airplane drop down and the airplane impact the ground in a near-vertical attitude. He stated the engine was running well the entire time. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Thus, it is likely that while performing the low altitude circling maneuver, the pilot maintained insufficient airspeed and banked too steeply, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall. Probable Cause and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be: The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.