# NTSB LAX98LA195: Blackmore RV-4, N813R, Sedona, AZ, June 14, 1998 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 14, 1998, 11:45 local (18:45 UTC) - Place: Sedona, AZ - Coordinates: 34.940292, -111.940048 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.9403&lon=-111.9400&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed, report August 3, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 30118 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX98LA195 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/30118/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA195 ## Probable cause The pilot's attempt to perform aerobatics with insufficient terrain clearance altitude available to complete the maneuver. A factor was high density altitude. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with terrain/water, maneuvering - terrain condition - mountainous/hilly - weather condition - high density altitude (contributing factor) - aerobatics - performed, pilot in command - low altitude flight/maneuver - attempted, pilot in command (cause) - altitude/clearance - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis The aircraft impacted the side of a vertical outcropping of rock while performing aerobatic maneuvers. The pilot had told friends that he wanted to perform aviation stunts for other friends. One witness said that the aircraft appeared to have needed approximately 75 to 100 feet of additional altitude in order to complete the maneuver without contacting the ground. Other witnesses said the aircraft completed almost one complete loop before it contacted the terrain at the base of the mountain. The aircraft's engine could be heard throughout the loop. Density altitude was 5,853 feet. ## Factual narrative On June 14, 1998, about 1145 hours mountain standard time, an experimental Blackmore RV-4, N813R, collided with mountainous terrain south of Sedona, Arizona. The aircraft was destroyed and the private pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The aircraft, owned and operated by the pilot, was on a local flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. The flight originated from the Sedona airport about 1120. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector performed an on-site inspection of the aircraft wreckage. He observed that the accident site was located on the northeast side of Cathedral Rock, a tall, rock formation that stands 1,000 feet above the surrounding terrain. Cathedral Rock is formed by two main spires with a 200-foot-wide gap between them. The wreckage was located about 200 yards from the northeast side of this gap, about 100 feet below the steep terrain that angles downward about 45 to 60 degrees. According to the inspector, the aircraft was resting on a southeasterly heading. The inspector judged that, from the frontal damage to the aircraft and lack of disturbance to the surrounding vegetation, the aircraft impacted the ground on a steep angle relative to the terrain. Retrieval of the engine tachometer, altimeter, and turn coordinator indicated the aircraft was developing 2,450 rpm's approximately 4,400 feet msl, while in a slightly banked right turn. An inspection of the engine by the manufacturer representative, under the supervision of the Safety Board investigator, revealed no evidence of abnormalities or malfunctions prior to impact. According to conversations with friends of the pilot, the inspector learned the pilot was planning to attend a high school reunion in the Sedona area that weekend. At the conclusion, the pilot mentioned he wanted to perform some aviation stunts for his friends who would be hiking in the Cathedral Rock area the following Sunday morning. The inspector also spoke with a close friend of the pilot's who had previously flown as a passenger with the pilot during a practice aerobatic flight involving a "roll" maneuver. He recalled that whenever the pilot would come out of the roll, he would "lose his centrifugal force to the outside and drop out of the maneuver." The friend had witnessed the pilot attempting this "roll" maneuver within 15 to 20 feet of the top of the Cathedral Rock cliffs on several previous occasions. People on top of the spires at Cathedral Rock were able to see the pilot smiling and laughing as he flew by. He went on to explain that the aircraft appeared to have needed approximately 75 to 100 feet agl of additional altitude in order to complete the maneuver without contacting the ground. The friend concluded that it was the pilot's intention to "buzz the hell out of them" (the hikers on Cathedral Rock), and that he had continuously tried to persuade him not to do so. Several hikers were on a trail up into the Cathedral Rock area on the morning of the accident. They witnessed the aircraft fly almost one complete loop before it contacted the terrain at the base of the mountain. Hikers stated the aircraft's engine could be heard throughout the loop. One witness encountered a person claiming to be a friend of the pilot's who stated the pilot was "showing off for his party of friends." The kit manufacturer stated that increased density altitude conditions, that occur with higher than standard temperatures, degrade aircraft performance. The accident site was about 4,450 feet msl, with an altimeter setting of 30.24 inches and a current temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Density altitude was computed by a Safety Board investigator as 5,873 feet. An autopsy was conducted by the Yavapai County Coroners Office with specimens retained for toxicological examination. The toxicological tests results were negative for alcohol and all screened drug substances. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N813R](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N813R-2013-08-08), registration cancelled 2013-08-08, S/N RV4-813, built 1985 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Blackmore RV-4 - Registry model: [Blackmore Richard H RV-4](https://openairdocs.org/model/blackmore-richard-h-rv-4) (registry code 056083B) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: RV4-813 - Airframe hours: 463 - Engines: Lycoming O-320-H2AD 160 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Dana Roosevelt Kyle - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, August 31, 1998, 120 hours before - Departed: SEZ, AZ ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 40; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: front; toxicology performed; flight hours: 294 total, 35 in this make and model, 215 as pilot in command, 20 in the last 90 days, 15 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: variable at 6 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 72 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: FLG, 18 nm away ## 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 19980614013349A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980614013349A), Jun 14, 1998: Amtr RV4, Sedona, AZ, Destroyed, 1 fatal. Flew into a mountainside under unknown circumstances. The aircraft impacted the side of a vertical outcropping of rock while performing aerobatic maneuvers.… 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.