# Accident 20230607015839A: Vans Aircraft RV-6, Colonial Beach, VA, June 7, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 7, 2023, 06:27 local time
- Place: Colonial Beach, VA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.1183° N, 76.9739° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.1183&lon=-76.9739&mi=10
- Aircraft: N835BC, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N835BC) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cole Robert RV-6 (registry code 05619BL, https://openairdocs.org/model/cole-robert-rv-6) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-320 series (registry code 41509, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: VANS AIRCRAFT RV-6
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA23FA260](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA23FA260) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230607015839A

## Narrative

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

TWO WITNESSES INDEPENDENTLY OBSERVED THE CRASH, AND THEIR OBSERVATIONS WERE MATERIALLY THE SAME. THEY STATED THAT FIRST THE PILOT PERFORMED A SIMPLE “FLY-BY” NEAR THE FIRST WITNESS' HOUSE, APPROXIMATELY STRAIGHT-AND-LEVEL. THEN THE PLANE RETURNED, AND THIS TIME BANKED AT A SHARP ANGLE, ESTIMATED TO BE KNIFE-EDGED OR NEARLY SO, TO MAKE A TIGHT BANK IN A COUNTERCLOCKWISE CIRCLE AROUND THE HOUSE, AT AN ALTITUDE ESTIMATED TO BETWEEN TWO AND THREE TREE HEIGHTS ABOVE THE GROUND, APPROXIMATELY 200-300 FEET AGL. NEAR THE END OF THE OBSERVATION, THE TOP (RIGHT) WING ROLLED INVERTED, THE PLANE RAPIDLY ROLLED/PITCHED INTO A NEAR-VERTICAL DIVE, CRASHED THROUGH TREES ALONG THE DRIVEWAY, AND SMASHED NOSE-FIRST ONTO THE WITNESS' PROPERTY. THE SECOND WITNESS WAS THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WHERE THE PLANE SPENT THE NIGHT, AND HAS "THOUSANDS OF HOURS" IN THE SAME MAKE OF AIRPLANE. NEITHER WITNESS RECALLED HEARING ANY CHANGE IN THE ENGINE PITCH OR NOISE. INVESTIGATION OF THE WRECKAGE DID NOT REVEAL ANY DEFECTS. THE MEDICAL EXAMINER FOUND NO KNOWN MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT COULD POSE HAZARDS TO FLIGHT SAFETY.

## 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 ERA23FA260](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA23FA260), Jun 7, 2023: Vans RV6 (N835BC), Colonial Beach, VA, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.

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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