Amateur-built RV 4 accident near Austin, Arkansas, September 26, 2018
On September 26, 2018 at about 7:42 pm local time, a 1997 amateur-built RV 4, registered N534MM, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Austin, Arkansas. 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 failure to maintain airplane control while maneuvering which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and an accelerated stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 2018 · about 7:42 pm local time
- Place
- Austin, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV 4 Undesignat, built 1997
- Registration
- N534MM · no longer on the register · serial MM3756
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a local personal flight to fly over his home; it was the pilot's first flight in the airplane without a flight instructor. According to radar data, the airplane started to descend and the ground speed increased from about 100 knots to about 145 knots just before the airplane flew over the pilot's home. according to a witness, the airplane approached the house and the right wing tipped up, the airplane climbed briefly, and then the airplane rolled inverted, descended, and impacted terrain. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. The description of the flight sequence is consistent with an accelerated stall when the airplane entered into a left bank as the pilot flew over his home. The pilot had completed a total of 10 hours of instruction in the accident airplane. According to the pilot's flight instructor, most of the pilot's training time consisted of takeoffs and landings and minimal time was spent training maneuvers and performance characteristics.
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 maneuvering
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience w/ equipment › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on equipment
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,623 hours in all; 10 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 811.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 8, 2018
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 2,226 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: KORK N Little Rock AR at 7:24 pm
- Destination: KORK N Little Rock AR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from KLRF, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
13 documents, released by the NTSB on October 9, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accident Site Photographs | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record A�� Wreckage Examination Summary | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Recorded Air Traffic Control radar Data (Plot) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | radar Data from Opsview | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Pilot's Logbook | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Memorandum of Record for Pilot's Flight Time with US Air National Guard | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Upper Air Sounding Data | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Record of Weather Gathering by Pilot Before Flight | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Record of Conversation with Pilot's Wife | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Record of Conversation with Pilot's Instructor | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 11 | Maintenance Records | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 12 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 13 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.