Amateur-built RV-4 accident near Grand Junction, Colorado, June 30, 2002
On June 30, 2002 at about 2:30 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-4, registered N3344E, was destroyed in an accident near Grand Junction, Colorado (Pinyon Field). 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 failing to maintain aircraft control during the pull up maneuver. A factor relating to the accident was the inadvertent stall spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2002 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Junction, Colorado · Pinyon Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-4
- Registration
- N3344E · no longer on the register · serial 2454
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness reported that the experimental homebuilt airplane initiated a sharp pull up with the right wing low after making a pass over the runway. The airplane went inverted with the left wing coming up and over. The airplane then "righted," descended, and impacted into the trees. The forward fuselage, engine, and cockpit were bent downward, broken open and crushed aft. Both wings showed aft crushing along the spans of the leading edge. The fuselage aft of the cockpit showed minor damage. The right horizontal stabilizer and elevator were bent upward and crushed aft. An examination of the airplane's systems revealed no anomalies.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Grand Junction CO at 2:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 050, 3,400 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from GJT, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N3344E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.