Amateur-built RV-7A accident near Marion, Texas, June 28, 2013
On June 28, 2013 at about 2:16 am local time, a 2008 amateur-built RV-7A, registered N445RV, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Marion, Texas (Zuehl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s sudden incapacitation and natural death as a result of cardiovascular disease.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 28, 2013 · about 2:16 am local time
- Place
- Marion, Texas · Zuehl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-7A, built 2008
- Registration
- N445RV · no longer on the register · serial 71938
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported observing the pilot make two unsuccessful landing attempts in the dark at the unlit airport. The airplane's landing lights were not on. During a third landing attempt, the airplane collided with power lines and trees. The pilot had a history of heart disease and had been given a special issuance third-class airman medical certificate; however, it was not valid at the time of the accident. A toxicology report indicated the use of Losartan, a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure. Although the autopsy did not identify evidence of a recent heart attack, the autopsy did identify evidence indicating that the pilot was at risk for a sudden cardiac event that could result in incapacitation and concluded that the pilot died as a result of hypertensive and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. It is likely that the pilot's sudden incapacitation and death during the flight resulted in the accident.
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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Cardiovascular › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,361 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: E70 Seguin TX at 2:04 am
- Destination: 1TE4 Marion TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,000 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 160° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 am from KBAZ, 14 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.