Amateur-built RV6-A accident near Kanab, Utah, May 6, 2000
On May 6, 2000 at about 2:00 pm local time, a amateur-built RV6-A, registered N456TP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kanab, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The partial loss of engine power as result of the failure of an exhaust valve. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 6, 2000 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kanab, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV6-A
- Registration
- N456TP · no longer on the register · serial 23247
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 683-hour pilot reported that while in cruise flight at 8,000 feet msl (2,000 feet agl), the engine started to run rough after he heard a 'pop' sound come from the engine compartment. The airplane was not able to maintain altitude and the pilot elected to perform an emergency landing to an estimated 1,800-foot stretch of a road. During the approach to the road, the pilot observed a vehicle entering the road in the opposite direction, and the pilot elected to abandon the approach and land on an 800-foot long meadow adjacent to the road. The pilot added that the airplane landed hard, the nose wheel sank into the soft ground, and the airplane nosed over to the inverted position. Examination of the engine revealed a broken exhaust valve.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 683 hours in all; 28 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 572 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 208 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 11, 1999; 72 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UT47 Hurricane UT at 1:30 pm
- Destination: CYN Canyonlands UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.