Amateur-built RV-6 accident near Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, June 21, 2014
On June 21, 2014 at about 1:29 am local time, a 1992 amateur-built RV-6, registered N135BB, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Sauk Rapids, Minnesota (St Cloud Regional Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of pitch control due to the in-flight opening of the canopy during cruise flight for reasons that could not be determined because fire damage precluded examination of the airplane’s canopy and systems.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 2014 · about 1:29 am local time
- Place
- Sauk Rapids, Minnesota · St Cloud Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-6, built 1992
- Registration
- N135BB · no longer on the register · serial 20598
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About 5 minutes after the experimental amateur-built RV-6 airplane departed from a local airport, an air traffic controller notified the pilot that an Airbus was 30 miles southwest of the airport and inbound. About 7 minutes later, the pilot reported that he had the Airbus in sight and then stated that he was going to take a picture of it. No further communications were received from the pilot. A witness reported observing the RV-6 "rocking back and forth" before the "nose went down" and then seeing two objects come off the airplane when it entered a descent. Another witness reported hearing engine noise before observing the airplane enter a steep nose-down descent. The airplane impacted a house and was destroyed by a postimpact fire. The two objects that the witness observed coming off the RV-6, which were a headset and PVC material, were later located near the accident site and did not exhibit thermal damage or soot. The exit of the two objects from the airplane's interior indicates that the canopy likely opened in flight, which led to the loss of pitch control. Fire damage precluded examination of the airplane's canopy and systems; therefore, the reason for the canopy opening in flight could not be determined. There was no radar or recorded position and time data for either airplane; therefore, the effects, if any, of wake turbulence from the Airbus on the RV-6 could not be determined.
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
- Inflight upset during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (cruise)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Windows › windshield system › Flight compartment windows › Unintentional use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane
- Flight time: 24,465 hours in all; 59 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,383 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 14, 2014; 10 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: STC St Cloud MN at 1:10 am
- Destination: STC St Cloud MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.82 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from STC, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.