Amateur-built VAN RV-6 accident near Magnolia, North Carolina, October 5, 2009
On October 5, 2009 at about 4:50 pm local time, a amateur-built VAN RV-6, registered N455RC, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Magnolia, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued visual flight into instrument meterological conditions and his subsequent failure to maintain aircraft control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight evaluation of the weather.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 2009 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- Magnolia, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VAN RV-6
- Registration
- N455RC · registry record · serial 455
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument-rated pilot was on a visual-flight-rules flight when he contacted air traffic control and stated that he was "in the thick of the weather." Air traffic control subsequently observed the airplane on radar at 1,500 feet, circling, before being lost off of radar. A witness reported that it was raining heavily when he noticed an airplane spinning out of the clouds toward the ground. The recorded weather near the accident site about the time of the accident included: winds from 020 degrees at 7 knots, visibility of 7 miles in light rain, with a ceiling of 300 feet broken, 2,500 feet broken, 7,000 feet overcast. According to Air Traffic Control Service personnel there were no records of any communication with the flight service station or entries made in the direct user access terminal system (DUATS) prior to pilot's flight. Examination of the aircraft structure, flight controls, systems, and engine by an FAA inspector showed no evidence of precrash failure or malfunction.
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
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute defining event
- Loss of control in flight during enroute
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weather planning › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Below VFR minima › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 270 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 8 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 20, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 93 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 19, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ILM Wilmington NC at 5:27 pm
- Destination: LHZ Louisburg NC
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 300 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 5:48 pm from ILM, 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
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.