# Accident 20200919012319A: Byerley Kent D RV9A, Zeeland, MI, September 19, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 19, 2020, 06:38 local time
- Place: Zeeland, MI
- Airport: Ottawa Executive
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.8239° N, 85.9239° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.8239&lon=-85.9239&mi=10
- Aircraft: N94KJ, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N94KJ-2021-10-19) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Byerley Kent D RV9A (registry code 05621DM, https://openairdocs.org/model/byerley-kent-d-rv9a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-320 series (registry code 41509, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BYERLEY KENT D RV9A
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 712 total, 234 in this make and model, 28 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN20LA399](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20LA399) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200919012319A

## Narrative

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

ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2020, APPROXIMATELY 0638 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, AN EXPERIMENTAL, AMATEUR-BUILT VANS RV9A

AIRPLANE, N94KJ, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AT OTTAWA EXECUTIVE AIRPORT (Z98), ZEELAND, MICHIGAN. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE

AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED AS A TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT.

ACCORDING TO PRELIMINARY AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) INFORMATION, THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED Z98 ON RUNWAY 20 AND CLIMBED ON A SOUTHEASTERLY HEADING TO ABOUT 800 FT ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL),

THEN TURNED BACK TOWARD THE AIRPORT. THE AIRPLANE MADE AN APPROACH TO RUNWAY 2 AND DESCENDED TO 125 FT AGL, THEN BEGAN A CLIMB AND TURNED RIGHT TO THE EAST OF THE RUNWAY. THE LAST

RECORDED INFORMATION SHOWED THE AIRPLANE AT 350 FT AGL.

THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED A FIELD ABOUT 1,100 FT NORTHEAST OF THE RUNWAY 20 THRESHOLD WITH A LOW FORWARD GROUNDSPEED IN AN APPARENT SPIN AND A POST IMPACT FIRE ENSURED. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE AT THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED NO ANOMALIES WITH FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY. THE AIRPLANE WAS TAKEN TO A FACILITY FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION BY LYCOMING AND THE NTSB.

## 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 CEN20LA399](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20LA399), Sep 19, 2020: Vans RV9 (N94KJ), Zeeland, MI, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during a visual approach in dark night conditions, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the…

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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