Amateur-built RV 6A accident near Bon Aqua, Tennessee, September 2, 2015
On September 2, 2015 at about 8:45 pm local time, a 2005 amateur-built RV 6A, registered N216LA, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Bon Aqua, Tennessee. 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 incapacitation from complications of a recent heart attack, which resulted in a loss of control during cruise flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 2, 2015 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Bon Aqua, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV 6A, built 2005
- Registration
- N216LA · no longer on the register · serial 60527
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the cruise portion of a cross-country flight, about 20 minutes after takeoff, the commercial pilot stopped responding to air traffic controllers as the airplane reversed course. It then climbed from 6,500 ft to 9,000 ft mean sea level and completed two left circuits before descending rapidly into the ground. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. The pilot's autopsy revealed that he had severe coronary artery disease, scarring from previous heart attacks, and evidence of ongoing or recent damage to two new areas of heart muscle, indicating recent heart attacks. All of these conditions put him at risk of experiencing acute heart failure or a disturbance of heart rhythm (arrhythmia). Both acute heart failure and arrhythmia can rapidly lead to decreased consciousness due to low blood pressure. It is likely that acute symptoms from complications of the pilot's ongoing heart attacks resulted in impairment /incapacitation of the pilot and led to his loss of airplane control.
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
- Miscellaneous/other 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 Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Cardiovascular › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,682 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: April 24, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 147 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 12, 2015; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Aero Sport Power Ltd O-360-A2A (piston); 147 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SYI Shelbyville TN at 7:00 pm
- Destination: EET Alabaster AL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from MRC, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on January 3, 2017. 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 | Medical Factual Report | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 2 | ATC Transcripts | PDF, 23 pages | View Download |
| 3 | radar Plot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Excerpts from Pilot Logbook | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Excerpts from Maintenance Records | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Shelf Item - Flight Service Audio File | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 14 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Photo Array | PDF, 4 pages | 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.