Amateur-built RV 6 accident near Paola, Kansas, June 1, 2019
On June 1, 2019 at about 12:30 pm local time, a 2004 amateur-built RV 6, registered N515CW, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Paola, Kansas (Miami County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control, which resulted in a runway excursion during the aborted landing and subsequent impact with vegetation and a nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 1, 2019 · about 12:30 pm local time
- Place
- Paola, Kansas · Miami County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV 6 Undesignat, built 2004
- Registration
- N515CW · registry record · serial 22716
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the airspeed was slow during landing, and "when I began my flare…[the airplane] dropped onto the runway hard and bounced." He added full power and full right rudder to abort the landing, but the airplane exited the left side of the runway. The airplane became airborne, but the landing gear wheels encountered tall grass and the airplane did not have sufficient airspeed to stay airborne. The airplane descended into the mud on the left side of the runway, collided with a drainage culvert, and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, vertical stabilizer, and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (landing roll)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 329.5 hours in all; 59.5 in this make and model; 8.8 in the last 90 days; 4.5 in the last 30 days; 329.5 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 9, 2017
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320X (piston); 1,128 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LXT Lees Summit MO at 12:45 pm
- Destination: LXT Lees Summit MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 3,398 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:52 pm from KOJC, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 27, 2019. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo | 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.
Other NTSB records under N515CW 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.