Amateur-built RV-6A accident near Cottonwood, Arizona, June 23, 2009
On June 23, 2009 at about 3:30 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-6A, registered N413RV, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Cottonwood, Arizona (Cottonwood Airport). It was an instructional 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 partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, and the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 23, 2009 · about 3:30 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Cottonwood, Arizona · Cottonwood Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-6A
- Registration
- N413RV · registry record · serial 60117
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported hearing the accident airplane's engine sputter during the takeoff climb. The airplane's nose appeared to pitch down, level, then witnesses heard a high pitch revving sound emanating from the engine. The airplane rocked back-and-forth, the left wing dropped, and it entered a nose dive before impacting the ground. A postaccident inspection of the accident site revealed the airplane impacted the ground in a nose down attitude, with the propeller assembly separating from the crankshaft and becoming embedded in the hard desert dirt. An examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies 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 engine power (partial) during initial climb defining event
- Loss of control in flight during initial climb
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Failure other cases naming the engine
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 284 hours in all
- Last flight review: August 2, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 31,300 hours in all; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 472 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 11, 2009
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P52 Cottonwood AZ at 3:30 pm
- Destination: P52 Cottonwood AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 4,250 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 3:30 pm from SEZ, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on July 8, 2011. 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 | Photo 1 - Main Wreckage (FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Photo 2 - Propeller Assembly (FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 3 - Spark Plugs (FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 4 - Front Side of Propeller Blades(faa) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 5 - Back Side of Propeller Blades (FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Witness Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Excerpt Aircraft Logbook | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Excerpt Engine Logbook | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Toxicological Report - Rajca | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Toxicological Report - Haynie | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N413RV on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 1,067 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Cottonwood Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,983 since 1982 · 466 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,423 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR09LA308.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.