2020 RV-4 Accident Near Safford, Arizona (N173CW)

Accident Overview and Flight History On June 9, 2020, at approximately 0846 Mountain Standard Time, an experimental, amateur-built RV-4, registration N173CW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Safford, Arizona. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted as a personal operation under 14 CFR Part 91. ADS-B data indicated the aircraft departed Tucson International Airport (TUS) runway 11R around 0810, climbing to approximately 9,800 feet MSL. It then maintained a general altitude and heading over mountain passes northeast of Tucson for about 25 minutes. At 0836, 28 miles southwest of Safford Regional Airport (SAD), the aircraft began descending at 500 feet per minute. Seven minutes later, it turned north toward SAD, descending at 800 feet per minute at an airspeed of about 150 knots. The aircraft slowed to 110 knots 1.25 miles short of runway 30, then entered a rapid 5,000 feet per minute descent over 15 seconds while accelerating to 150 knots. The first point of impact was a 25-foot ground disruption at 3,090 feet MSL, about 500 feet north of the last ADS-B target and 0.5 miles southwest of the runway 30 threshold.