Amateur-built RV-7 accident near Topeka, Kansas, July 16, 2022
On July 16, 2022 at about 4:53 pm local time, a 2009 amateur-built RV-7, registered N283S, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Topeka, Kansas (Buena Terra airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control while performing an aerobatic maneuver on takeoff, which resulted in exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, a subsequent aerodynamic stall, and impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impairment from alcohol consumption before the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2022 · about 4:53 pm local time
- Place
- Topeka, Kansas · Buena Terra · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-7, built 2009
- Registration
- N283S · registry record · serial 73041
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On the day of the accident, witnesses saw the airplane depart from the runway and enter a near-vertical climb before the airplane’s nose dropped and began a right turn. The airplane remained in a nose-low, near-vertical descent until it impacted a grass field off the end of the runway. Several witnesses had previously watched the pilot take off and perform various aerobatic maneuvers similar to the accident flight. Toxicological tests detected a level of ethanol known to cause some level of impairment. The test results were also consistent with the pilot having consumed alcohol near the time of the flight. Therefore, it is likely that the pilot’s impairment contributed to the loss of control as the pilot performed an aerobatic maneuver on takeoff.
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 in flight during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Alcohol › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,157.3 hours in all
- Last flight review: May 13, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,709.4 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 2, 2022
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming YO-360-A1A (piston); 1,709 hours total
- Operator: Wake Turbulence CORP
The flight
- Destination: K34 Gardner KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 2,500 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from KTOP, 4 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KTOP 161653Z 24003KT 10SM CLR 32/20 A2994 RMK AO2 SLP126 T03220200
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on January 4, 2024. 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 | Medical Factual | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statements | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Witness Video | MOV file · our copy | Download |
| 4 | Accident Site Examination | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Airframe and Engine Examination | PDF, 8 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Evidence Control Form | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 7 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 14 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 8 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 9 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 10 | Photo Array | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
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.