Amateur-built RV9-A accident near Leander, Texas, June 30, 2011
On June 30, 2011 at about 9:15 pm local time, a amateur-built RV9-A, registered N59VA, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Leander, Texas (Kittie Hill Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2011 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Leander, Texas · Kittie Hill Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV9-A
- Registration
- N59VA · no longer on the register · serial 90928
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed in an experimental amateur-built airplane for a series of local test flights after a recent engine installation. During the first flight, the engine overheated and the pilot returned for a landing. The second flight was uneventful; however, during the third flight, the pilot noticed that the engine did not sound right, so he returned to the airport. The pilot and a mechanic inspected the engine and did not find any anomalies. When the pilot departed on the fourth flight, the engine lost partial power shortly after takeoff. The pilot turned back to the airport and, during the forced landing, the nose gear impacted a depression in the turf runway and the airplane nosed over. Examination of the airplane’s engine did not reveal a reason for the loss of engine power.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Unknown or undetermined during takeoff
- Loss of engine power (partial) during takeoff defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,690 hours in all; 108 in this make and model; 1,629 as pilot in command; 1,008 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 5, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 310 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 15, 2011
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Eggenfellner E-6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 77T Leander TX
- Destination: 77T Leander TX
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 30, 2,620 ft by 55 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 99°F (37°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 8:46 pm from GTU, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.