Amateur-built RV-6A accident near Knox, Indiana, July 29, 2013
On July 29, 2013 at about 7:46 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-6A, registered N914ES, was destroyed in an accident during approach (VFR pattern base) near Knox, Indiana (Starke County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The incapacitation of the pilot due to a cardiovascular event that prevented him from maintaining control of the airplane during the landing approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 2013 · about 7:46 pm local time
- Place
- Knox, Indiana · Starke County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-6A
- Registration
- N914ES · no longer on the register · serial 20828
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The amateur-built airplane was one of a group of five airplanes traveling to a fly-in. The group planned to land at an interim stop before continuing to the fly-in the following day. The accident airplane was the fourth to land. During the approach, the airplane impacted the ground about where a base-to-final approach turn would have been expected. GPS data showed that the airplane entered a descending left turn that reached a turn rate of about 900 degrees per minute and a descent rate of about 1,300 feet per minute before impact. The pilot of the fifth airplane and his passenger commented that the final radio transmissions over the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) from the accident pilot seemed out of the ordinary and that he was fumbling for words. They said that this was not common for the accident pilot and that he was usually very precise in his radio transmissions. The accident pilot's wife reported that he had complained that he was not feeling well and had chest pain 2 days before the accident flight. Reportedly, he thought the chest pain was from a pulled muscle. The wife reported that the chest pain had resolved and that the pilot was feeling better by the time of the flight but that he had not seen a physician. Autopsy findings revealed that the pilot had left ventricular hypertrophy and coronary artery disease that put him at risk for an acute cardiac event; such an event would leave no evidence visible on autopsy. In addition, the pathologist's autopsy findings stated, "While no acute ischemic changes are found, the interstitial fibrosis is consistent with prior ischemia, and cardiac hypertrophy is associated with arrhythmias…Thus, it appears possible, given the information that decedent's radio transmissions on the CTAF prior to the accident indicated he was fumbling for words, that he suffered a cardiac arrhythmia prior to the accident." Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern base) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Cardiovascular › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,826 hours in all
- Last flight review: February 1, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: I40 Coshocton OH at 5:50 pm
- Destination: OXI Knox IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 4,401 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,800 ft; scat at 4,100 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from OXI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N914ES the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN13FA446.