# Accident 20200105003239A: Tyler W Walker/Joseph P Macken VANS RV-6, Vinemont, AL, January 5, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 5, 2020, 12:42 local time
- Place: Vinemont, AL
- Airport: Cullman Regional - Folsom Field
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.2728° N, 86.8581° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.2728&lon=-86.8581&mi=10
- Aircraft: N420PW, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N420PW-2022-01-08) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Tyler W Walker/Joseph P Macken VANS RV-6 (registry code 056308F, https://openairdocs.org/model/tyler-w-walker-joseph-p-macken-vans-rv-6) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (registry code 42250, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-360-a1d) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: TYLER W WALKER/JOSEPH P MACKEN VANS RV-6
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O-360-A1D
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 460 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA20FA063](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA20FA063) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200105003239A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

N420PW, AN EXPERIMENTAL VANS RV-6 DEPARTED CULLMAN AIRPORT (CMD) AT 12:42 LOCAL TIME.  AS THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED THRU APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET,  WITNESSES REPORTED HEARING A LOUD NOISE.  THEN OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT BEGIN A SHARP 180 DEGREE TURN AS IT DESCENDED RAPIDLY TOWARD THE SURFACE. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND FATALLY INJURING BOTH OCCUPANTS.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED AND THERE WAS NO POST CRASH FIRE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA20FA063](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA20FA063), Jan 5, 2020: Vans Vans RV-6 (N420PW), Cullman, AL, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s inadequate planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power during the initial climb. Also causal was the pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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