Amateur-built Vans RV-4 accident near Grants Pass, Oregon, December 29, 2006
On December 29, 2006 at about 10:40 pm local time, a amateur-built Vans RV-4, registered N234RV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grants Pass, Oregon (Grants Pass airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during performance of a go-around, resulting in an inadvertent stall and subsequent in flight collision with the ground. A contributing factor was the in-flight loss of a portion of one propeller blade.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 2006 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Grants Pass, Oregon · Grants Pass · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Vans RV-4
- Registration
- N234RV · no longer on the register · serial 234
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The passenger reported that the experimental amateur-built airplane was in cruise flight about 12 miles from the airport when a bird impacted the propeller, and the airplane started shaking and vibrating violently. The flight returned to the airport, and the pilot entered the traffic pattern for landing. The airplane was high and fast on final for runway 30, and when it was about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way down the runway, the pilot decided to go around. When the throttle was advanced, the engine ran rough and did not produce power. During the go around attempt, the airplane entered a stall and subsequently impacted terrain about 500 feet beyond the departure end of the runway. Examination of the wreckage revealed that one blade of the experimental wooden propeller was broken off at the hub, and the other blade was broken off at approximately midspan. Wood fragments identified as being from a propeller blade were found at the accident site. Laboratory examination of the remaining portion of the propeller and the recovered blade fragments indicated the fragments were from the blade that was broken off at the hub, and this blade likely fractured as a result of ground impact. The fracture features found on the blade that separated near midspan were consistent with a traumatic event such as an in-flight bird strike. No obvious signs of bird residue were noted on the propeller, but the loss of the outboard portion of the blade prevented examination of this part of the propeller.
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; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3S8 Grants Pass OR
- Destination: 3S8
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 3,999 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from SXT, 5 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.
Other NTSB records under N234RV 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.