Amateur-built RV9A accident near Tryon, Nebraska, July 25, 2022
On July 25, 2022 at about 1:39 pm local time, a 2005 amateur-built RV9A, registered N192MH, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Tryon, Nebraska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The non-instrument-rated pilot’s decision to continue visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation, a loss of control, exceedance of the airplane’s design limitations, and in-flight breakup of the airplane due to rudder flutter.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 2022 · about 1:39 pm local time
- Place
- Tryon, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV9A, built 2005
- Registration
- N192MH · registry record · serial 90556
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument-rated pilot and student-pilot rated passenger were en route during a cross-country flight when they encountered instrument meteorological conditions. Air traffic control (ATC) communications and flight track data were consistent with the pilots being aware of deteriorating weather conditions along their desired route of travel and attempting to navigate around clouds before the pilot reported to ATC that they were in the clouds. The pilot’s final radio call to ATC was that they were “still in the soup” and the airplane subsequently descended rapidly and exceeded the airplane’s do not exceed airspeed (Vne) by 70-80 knots true airspeed (TAS) before the radar data ended. Witnesses heard a loud noise and then saw the airplane spiraling over their home along with separated pieces of the airplane falling from the sky before they impacted terrain. The debris field was about 1 mile long, and the first pieces of wreckage in the debris field were portions of the vertical stabilizer, indicating portions of the empennage separated from the airplane first. The observed damage was consistent with structural failure initiated by flutter of the rudder and no pre-existing anomalies were found during examinations of the wreckage. The accident is consistent with the non-instrument-rated pilot continuing to fly toward deteriorating weather conditions despite his knowledge of those conditions and his lack of qualification to fly in them. The pilot likely became spatially disoriented and lost control of the airplane after entering instrument meteorological conditions and losing the ability to see visual references. The airplane then entered a descent and exceeded its airspeed design limits to a point where rudder flutter occurred, which resulted in structural failure of the airplane.
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
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute (cruise)
- Loss of visual reference during enroute (cruise)
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total instrument experience › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Understanding/comprehension › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Capability exceeded
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Clouds › Decision related to condition
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Clouds › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,050 hours in all
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: student
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GXY Greeley CO at 12:15 pm
- Destination: Cherokee IA
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 9 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 8:35 am from KTIF, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
11 documents, released by the NTSB on April 25, 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, 6 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Weather Factual Report | PDF, 23 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Weather (Attachment 1) | GIF file | Download |
| 4 | Weather (Attachment 2) | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Weather (Attachment 3) | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 6 | EFIS Display - Email Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Witness Statements | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Air Traffic Control Extracts | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Structures Report | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Mor Airspeed Calculations | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 11 | Mor - Airspeed Limitations | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR22FA266.