Amateur-built RV6 accident near Show Low, Arizona, December 22, 2021
On December 22, 2021 at about 11:39 pm local time, a 2001 amateur-built RV6, registered N6000Z, was destroyed in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Show Low, Arizona (Show Low Rgnl 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 exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack following an aborted landing approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control at an altitude too low for recovery.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 22, 2021 · about 11:39 pm local time
- Place
- Show Low, Arizona · Show Low Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV6 A, built 2001
- Registration
- N6000Z · registry record · serial 24142
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported that a high-wing airplane and a low-wing airplane were on final approach for landing to the same runway, with the high-wing airplane ahead of and slightly below the low-wing airplane. An airport employee stated that the pilot of the high-wing airplane was making position reports over the airport’s common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF), but the pilot of the low-wing airplane was not. The employee transmitted via the CTAF that there were two airplanes on final approach, at which time the pilot of the high-wing airplane aborted the landing. That pilot reported that he never saw the other airplane. The pilot of the low-wing airplane (accident airplane) subsequently transmitted that he had been using the wrong radio frequency and aborted the landing approach, entering a right turn away from the runway at low altitude. Witnesses reported that, during the turn, the accident airplane entered a nose-low descent that continued until it impacted the ground. The airplane impacted terrain in a near-vertical, nose-down attitude. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the available information, it is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering away from the runway during the aborted landing approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control at an altitude too low for recovery. It is possible that the high-density altitude conditions and the distraction of looking for conflicting traffic may have contributed to the accident.
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
- Near midair/TCAS alert/loss of separation during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › High density altitude › Effect on equipment
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other aircraft › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 5 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 Series (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: TYL Taylor AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,938 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.16 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 pm from KSOW
Weather report (METAR): KSOW 222335Z AUTO 21007KT 10SM CLR 13/M12 A3016 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
9 documents, released by the NTSB on May 3, 2023. 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 | Memorandum for Record | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Electronic Devices - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 6 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Site Summary Report | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Airframe and Engine Examination Summary | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Memorandum for Record Autopsy | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 7 | FAA Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge Excerpts | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 8 | Party Form | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 9 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
Other NTSB records under N6000Z 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.