Accident Details
On March 11, 2011, at approximately 0900 mountain standard time, an experimental amateur-built Radford RV-6, registration N650RV, collided with terrain while maneuvering near the South Rim Recreation area in Grand Canyon, Arizona. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight from Tusayan, Arizona, with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. There was no reported sustained emergency locator transmitter signal.
According to police reports, the pilot had argued with his wife the day before the accident. On the morning of March 11, he told a female acquaintance during a phone call that he intended to kill himself. At about 0615, he was seen at Glendale Airport and departed before the tower opened at 0630. He flew to Tusayan, where he landed and added 10 gallons of 100LL fuel before departing at 0820.
Radar data show the pilot turned off his transponder about one minute after takeoff from Tusayan; subsequent tracking was primary-only with no altitude information. The track proceeded northwest for about nine minutes, with the last radar hit at coordinates 36°10.22' N, 122°16.36' W.
Wreckage Recovery and Examination
The wreckage was not immediately located and was classified as missing until May 21, 2015, when hikers discovered it near the South Rim Recreation Area. The pilot's remains were found in the wreckage. The postmortem report listed the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries and the manner of death as suicide.
On July 15, 2015, examination of the recovered airframe and engine was conducted at Air Transport in Phoenix, Arizona. The airframe and engine assembly showed extensive impact damage, fragmentation, and deformation. The fuselage, wings, engine, and instruments were crushed aft. No evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure was found. The impact signatures were consistent with deliberate controlled flight into terrain.
Findings
The NTSB investigation concluded that the pilot intentionally flew the airplane into the ground, resulting in a suicide. No mechanical anomalies were identified that would have prevented normal operation.