Amateur-built RV-6 accident near Coolidge, Arizona, April 27, 2012
On April 27, 2012 at about 4:30 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-6, registered N164RG, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Coolidge, Arizona (Coolidge 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 loss of directional control during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 27, 2012 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Coolidge, Arizona · Coolidge · 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
- Registration
- N164RG · registry record · serial 60266
- 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 he was demonstrating stop-and-go landings to his passenger. During the second landing roll, the airplane began to swerve to the right. The pilot applied left rudder pedal and pulled the control stick aft. The airplane then ground looped to the left and came to rest upright. The rudder sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no preimpact 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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 762 hours in all; 546 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: February 10, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 447 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, December 1, 2011; 32 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 3:30 pm
- Destination: P08 Coolidge AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05, 5,528 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 pm from CGZ, 17 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
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.