Amateur-built Vans RV-4 accident near Wallkill, New York, June 24, 2007
On June 24, 2007 at about 10:37 pm local time, a amateur-built Vans RV-4, registered N14VS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wallkill, New York (Orange County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper decision to attempt low altitude aerobatics, and his failure to maintain airspeed during the aerobatics, which resulted in an inadvertent stall while maneuvering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 2007 · about 10:37 pm local time · cases in 2007
- Place
- Wallkill, New York · Orange County Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Vans RV-4
- Registration
- N14VS · registry record · serial 295
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The amateur-built experimental airplane was observed performing aerobatics about 250 feet above ground level. The airplane performed a barrel roll, then completed about half of a loop when it stalled at the top and descended straight into the ground. The engine ran continuously throughout the accident sequence, with no changes in power noted. The pilot had accumulated approximately 1,000 hours of total flight experience; however, no record of his aerobatic experience was recovered. The reported weather near the accident site, about the time of the accident, included clear skies, wind at 6 knots, and visibility 10 miles.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 428 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, November 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MGJ Montgomery NY at 9:00 pm
- Destination: MGJ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 10:54 pm from MGJ, 4 miles away
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N14VS on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 27,303 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Orange County · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in New York 1,964 since 1982 · 249 in the last ten years
- New York 6,659 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/NYC07LA148.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.