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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 23, 2009 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cottonwood, Arizona · Cottonwood 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
- 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
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.