Amateur-built VANS RV6A accident near Aztec, Arizona, September 16, 2022
On September 16, 2022 at about 8:35 pm local time, a 2009 amateur-built VANS RV6A, registered N646RV, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Aztec, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to turn away from a suitable emergency landing surface, his failure to maintain adequate airspeed as the airplane neared the ground, and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 2022 · about 8:35 pm local time
- Place
- Aztec, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VANS RV6A, built 2009
- Registration
- N646RV · registry record · serial 20333
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and passenger were conducting a cross-country flight. Flight track data showed their flight close to and paralleling an interstate highway one to two miles away when the airplane started a controlled descent. During the descent the airplane made a turn away from the highway, made another turn to parallel the highway, and then made a turn angling toward the highway. The flight continued to descend until it impacted terrain about one mile from the highway. The airplane impacted flat desert terrain in a nose-low attitude and a post-impact fire ensued, which consumed most of the airplane wreckage. There were no reported radio calls from the pilot or witnesses to the accident. Investigators could not determine why the pilot initially turned away from the highway, which could have provided a suitable emergency landing surface. Examination of the engine and propeller found the propeller had broken aft and there were starter ring impact marks of an aft, non-rotational nature. Impact and fire damage prevented any examination of the fuel, air intake, electrical, and ignition systems. There were no signatures or conditions observed during the examination that would indicate there was any pre-accident catastrophic mechanical malfunction. Those findings and the controlled descent made by the airplane from cruise altitude are consistent with a loss of engine power before impact. The nose-down impact attitude is consistent with the airplane entering an aerodynamic stall at low altitude. The accident is consistent with a total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to turn away from a suitable emergency landing surface, his failure to maintain adequate airspeed as the airplane neared the ground, and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
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 emergency descent
- Unknown or undetermined during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Attain/maintain not possible
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 314 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 4, 2021
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SDM San Diego CA at 7:10 pm
- Destination: OLS Nogales AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 94°F (34°C), dew point 56°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 28.60 inHg
- Observation at 1:30 pm from GILA, 36 miles away
Weather report (METAR): 1:51 PM 94 °F 56 °F 28 % S 3 mph 0 mph 28.60 in 0.0 in Fair
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N646RV the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 WPR22FA348.