What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On November 05, 2021 at approximately 1150 local time, an experimental Gauthier Ted, RV-6 aircraft, N16TG, registered to and operated by a commercial rated pilot was destroyed on impact following a non-recoverable stall/spin less than one mile south of the Clare County Airport (80D), Harrison, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was being conducted under the provisions of title 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot received fatal injuries. The flight originated from the oakland county international airport (ptk), pontiac Michigan approximately 35 minutes prior to the accident and was enroute to the cherry capital airport (tvc), traverse city, Michigan.
According witnesses, the aircraft made little noise as the nose went up then almost straight down until it was lost from view. At the time it was thought the pilot was performing aerobatics then the impact was heard. Witnesses found the aircraft in the backyard of a local residence and notified 911.
Adsb data shows the aircraft was on a GPS direct route to tvc until it disappeared. The last adsb data point was approximately 8 miles due west of 80D at 3,000 MSL and 165 knots. The terrain around this last data point is densely wooded with very few open land areas.
The aircraft came to rest upright on a 350 degree heading. All aircraft components were found at the accident site. The fuel injected engine remained attached to the airframe with major impact damage to the lower portion. All sparkplug wires were attached to respective plugs and engine controls appeared attached. The engine was equipped with a dual, but separate electronic ignition system that sustained major impact damage. The wood composite propeller was found with one blade still attached and the other two broken at the hub due to impact forces and found under the engine. The propeller showed no signs of rotation on impact. Both wings exhibited accordion leading edge crush damage with the right fuel tank torn open due to hydraulic force. The left fuel tank was also breached, but had no sign of hydraulic rupturing. Both fuel caps remained secured and were found in respective filler ports. There was a strong smell of aviation fuel at the accident site with ground wetting forward of the right wing. The conventional landing gear was collapsed and folded under the fuselage. The cockpit area was crushed and breached in a number of areas with the dash being destroyed and the sliding canopy broken away and found to the aft and right of the aircraft. The fuselage showed crush damage and impact folding. The empennage remained attached with little damage. Elevator and aileron continuity was established. Rudder controls could not be confirmed due to crush damage. Engine controls and switch settings could not be confirmed due to crush damage. The fuel selector/shutoff valve was found in the left tank position. The pilot was found wearing a lap belt and shoulder harness. The ELT functioned as designed. There was no post-crash fire.
Weather at the mount pleasant airport (mop), 29 miles south of the accident site, was reported as: kmop 051355Z auto 20005KT 10SM ovc 050 03/00 a 3035.
As the FAA filed it
ON NOVEMBER 05, 2021 AT APPROXIMATELY 1150 LOCAL TIME, AN EXPERIMENTAL GAUTHIER TED, RV-6 AIRCRAFT, N16TG, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY A COMMERCIAL RATED PILOT WAS DESTROYED ON IMPACT FOLLOWING A NON-RECOVERABLE STALL/SPIN LESS THAN ONE MILE SOUTH OF THE CLARE COUNTY AIRPORT (80D), HARRISON, MICHIGAN. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE FLIGHT WAS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91 WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN. THE PILOT RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE OAKLAND COUNTY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (PTK), PONTIAC MICHIGAN APPROXIMATELY 35 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT AND WAS ENROUTE TO THE CHERRY CAPITAL AIRPORT (TVC), TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN.
ACCORDING WITNESSES, THE AIRCRAFT MADE LITTLE NOISE AS THE NOSE WENT UP THEN ALMOST STRAIGHT DOWN UNTIL IT WAS LOST FROM VIEW. AT THE TIME IT WAS THOUGHT THE PILOT WAS PERFORMING AEROBATICS THEN THE IMPACT WAS HEARD. WITNESSES FOUND THE AIRCRAFT IN THE BACKYARD OF A LOCAL RESIDENCE AND NOTIFIED 911.
ADSB DATA SHOWS THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A GPS DIRECT ROUTE TO TVC UNTIL IT DISAPPEARED. THE LAST ADSB DATA POINT WAS APPROXIMATELY 8 MILES DUE WEST OF 80D AT 3,000 MSL AND 165 KNOTS. THE TERRAIN AROUND THIS LAST DATA POINT IS DENSELY WOODED WITH VERY FEW OPEN LAND AREAS.
THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST UPRIGHT ON A 350 DEGREE HEADING. ALL AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS WERE FOUND AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. THE FUEL INJECTED ENGINE REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE AIRFRAME WITH MAJOR IMPACT DAMAGE TO THE LOWER PORTION. ALL SPARKPLUG WIRES WERE ATTACHED TO RESPECTIVE PLUGS AND ENGINE CONTROLS APPEARED ATTACHED. THE ENGINE WAS EQUIPPED WITH A DUAL, BUT SEPARATE ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM THAT SUSTAINED MAJOR IMPACT DAMAGE. THE WOOD COMPOSITE PROPELLER WAS FOUND WITH ONE BLADE STILL ATTACHED AND THE OTHER TWO BROKEN AT THE HUB DUE TO IMPACT FORCES AND FOUND UNDER THE ENGINE. THE PROPELLER SHOWED NO SIGNS OF ROTATION ON IMPACT. BOTH WINGS EXHIBITED ACCORDION LEADING EDGE CRUSH DAMAGE WITH THE RIGHT FUEL TANK TORN OPEN DUE TO HYDRAULIC FORCE. THE LEFT FUEL TANK WAS ALSO BREACHED, BUT HAD NO SIGN OF HYDRAULIC RUPTURING. BOTH FUEL CAPS REMAINED SECURED AND WERE FOUND IN RESPECTIVE FILLER PORTS. THERE WAS A STRONG SMELL OF AVIATION FUEL AT THE ACCIDENT SITE WITH GROUND WETTING FORWARD OF THE RIGHT WING. THE CONVENTIONAL LANDING GEAR WAS COLLAPSED AND FOLDED UNDER THE FUSELAGE. THE COCKPIT AREA WAS CRUSHED AND BREACHED IN A NUMBER OF AREAS WITH THE DASH BEING DESTROYED AND THE SLIDING CANOPY BROKEN AWAY AND FOUND TO THE AFT AND RIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE FUSELAGE SHOWED CRUSH DAMAGE AND IMPACT FOLDING. THE EMPENNAGE REMAINED ATTACHED WITH LITTLE DAMAGE. ELEVATOR AND AILERON CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED. RUDDER CONTROLS COULD NOT BE CONFIRMED DUE TO CRUSH DAMAGE. ENGINE CONTROLS AND SWITCH SETTINGS COULD NOT BE CONFIRMED DUE TO CRUSH DAMAGE. THE FUEL SELECTOR/SHUTOFF VALVE WAS FOUND IN THE LEFT TANK POSITION. THE PILOT WAS FOUND WEARING A LAP BELT AND SHOULDER HARNESS. THE ELT FUNCTIONED AS DESIGNED. THERE WAS NO POST-CRASH FIRE.
WEATHER AT THE MOUNT PLEASANT AIRPORT (MOP), 29 MILES SOUTH OF THE ACCIDENT SITE, WAS REPORTED AS: KMOP 051355Z AUTO 20005KT 10SM OVC 050 03/00 A 3035.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.