# NTSB CEN21LA080: Vans RV6, N69HF, Hitchcock, TX, December 8, 2020 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: December 8, 2020, 15:40 local (21:40 UTC) - Place: Hitchcock, TX · 6800 N Railroad Ave, Hitchcock, TX - Coordinates: 29.342925, -95.004477 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.3429&lon=-95.0045&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA - NTSB case key (mKey): 102390 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN21LA080 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/102390/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=102390 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN21LA080 ## Probable cause The pilot’s impairment by the effects of ingested alcohol, which resulted in the loss of airplane control and impact with terrain. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Impairment/incapacitation: alcohol](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02012015): Personnel issues › Physical · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Feuchter Homer Wilbur RV6, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02012015/cases.md?model=05602SR), [All aircraft, 87 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02012015/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: altitude](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Feuchter Homer Wilbur RV6, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012/cases.md?model=05602SR), [All aircraft, 1,310 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [Feuchter Homer Wilbur RV6, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=05602SR), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md) - [Prior to flight: Miscellaneous/other](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/900); cases with it: [Feuchter Homer Wilbur RV6, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/900/sequence.md?model=05602SR), [All aircraft, 1,556 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/900/sequence.md) ## Analysis Before the accident flight, the pilot was seen conducting maintenance on the airplane in front of his hangar. Witnesses heard the pilot start the engine and saw the airplane take off from the hangar/ramp area and stated that the pilot appeared to be struggling to control the airplane. About 1.5 hours later, the airplane was seen flying at low altitude over a residential area before it impacted the ground. Witnesses stated that the engine was running normally before the accident and that the airplane appeared “out of control.” Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Postmortem toxicology testing of specimens from the pilot were consistent with the recent use of alcohol and a sedating antihistamine. It is likely that the pilot was impaired from ingested alcohol, which contributed to his loss of airplane control. Whether effects from his use of the antihistamine also contributed to the accident could not be determined. Although family and friends described the pilot having episodes of unusual behavior in the years before the accident, no significant medical conditions were identified during the investigation. ## Factual narrative On December 8, 2020, about 1540 central standard time, a Vans RV-6 airplane, N69HF, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Hitchcock, Texas. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. Family members and a friend stated that the pilot had gone to the airport the day of the accident to work on the airplane’s magnetos and did not take his flying gear or indicate that he would fly that day. Witnesses observed the pilot conduct maintenance on the airplane in front of his hangar at the airport. One witness talked to the pilot while he was working on the airplane and described him as “distracted,” and the pilot avoided talking to him. The witness further stated that the pilot acted “very distant,” and he thought the pilot may have been impaired. The accident airplane was located in front of the pilot’s hangar in the ramp area that was on the north end of the airport between two rows of hangars. About 1415, one witness heard the airplane’s engine start and saw the pilot in the cockpit of the airplane with the canopy closed. He heard the engine power increase and watched the airplane take off from the ramp area to the west. He said that the airplane became airborne as it entered the grassy area between the taxiway and runway 18/36, and it bounced, pitched, and yawed erratically as it accelerated. A pilot who was in his airplane on the parallel taxiway near the hangar area, saw the airplane “shoot out” of the ramp area about 200 yards in front of him and become airborne as it entered the grass. He stated that the pilot appeared to be having trouble controlling the airplane. He did not hear the pilot make any radio calls on ground or tower frequencies. Additional witnesses saw the airplane fly at a low altitude above a residential area about 6 miles west of the airport. They said that the airplane flew north to south 200 to 300 ft above the ground and made a turn to the west toward the accident location, which was about 4 miles northwest of their location. They reported that the engine sounded normal. Residential security cameras also captured videos of the airplane about this time, and the engine could be heard operating at a high power setting. About 1.5 hours after the airplane took off, a witness near the accident site reported that she heard a loud noise, and her house began to shake. She looked out her window and saw an airplane fly low near her house. She described the airplane as “out of control,” wobbling and moving unusually before it hit the ground. She said that the airplane traveled more horizontally than vertically as it descended. She said the noise sounded like an engine, and it was constant before the airplane impacted the ground. All flight control surfaces were identified at the accident site, but flight control continuity could not be verified due to impact damage. On his most recent application for a Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) airman medical certificate, the pilot reported no medical conditions, no use of medications, and no visits to health providers According to the autopsy performed by the County of Galveston Medical Examiner's Office, the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was accident. Toxicology testing performed by NMS Labs at the request of the medical examiner identified ethanol at 0.252 gm/dl in femoral blood. Toxicology testing performed by the FAA’s Forensic Sciences Laboratory identified ethanol at 0.160 gm/dl in liver tissue, 0.348 gm/dl in lung, 0.238 gm/dl in muscle, and 0.196 gm/dl in brain. In addition, cetirizine was identified at 60 ng/ml in cavity blood and liver tissue. Family members and a friend of the pilot told investigators the pilot had been experiencing episodes of unusual behavior for about 4 years, for which the pilot had sought medical evaluation; however, no medical records and no record of treatment or condition were located during the investigation. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N69HF](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N69HF-2022-06-04), registration cancelled 2022-06-04, S/N 21624 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: VANS RV6 - Registry model: [Feuchter Homer Wilbur RV6](https://openairdocs.org/model/feuchter-homer-wilbur-rv6) (registry code 05602SR) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: 21624 - Engines: Lycoming O-360-A4A 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, December 14, 2019 - Departed: KGLS, Galveston, TX - Airport: KGLS, Scholes International Airport at Galveston ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 50; injuries: fatal; airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1; seat: front; toxicology performed; flight hours: 17,825 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 190° at 11 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Temperature: 64 °F, dew point 48 °F - Altimeter: 30.20 inHg - Observed at: KGLS, 9 nm away - METAR: KGLS 082152Z 19011KT 10SM CLR 18/09 A3020 RMK AO2 SLP226 T01830094 ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20201208021849A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20201208021849A), Dec 8, 2020: Feuchter Homer Wilbur RV6, Hitchcock, TX, Destroyed, 1 fatal. Witness #1 statement: on December 8, 2020 [privacy data omitted] (pilot) had his dad?s airplane N69HF right outside his hangar. Witness #1, saw [privacy data… ## Docket (8 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 15, 2022, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=102390. 13.4 MB in all. - Witness statements and records of conversation (item 1, PDF, 14 pages, 717 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13080418&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Witness%20Binder_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Video 1 (item 2, MP4, 2.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13080901&FileExtension=mp4&FileName=2020_12_08_15_37_36_1694-Rel.mp4 - Video 2 (item 3, MOV, 3.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13080408&FileExtension=mov&FileName=IMG_7438-Rel.mov - FAA wreckage examination memo for record (item 4, PDF, 1 page, 122 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13080462&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Memorandum%20of%20Record%20-%20FAA%20Exam-Rel.pdf - Photos (item 5, PDF, 5 pages, 5 photos, 3.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13080633&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photo%20Array%20CEN21LA080-Rel.pdf - Medical factual (item 6, PDF, 2 pages, 136 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=12794896&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=CEN21LA080_Medical%20Factual%20Report-Rel.pdf - Release of aircraft wreckage, NTSB form 6120.15 (item 7, PDF, 2 pages, 2.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13080545&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Wreckage%20Release_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Toxicological report (item 8, PDF, 1 page, 174 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13080452&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Pilot%20Tox_Redacted-Rel.pdf 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.