Flight History
On September 13, 2020, about 1215 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Van's RV-9A, registration N4889R, was destroyed in an accident near Steinhatchee, Florida. The pilot and a student pilot-certificated passenger sustained fatal injuries. The flight departed Jack Edwards Field (JKA) in Gulf Shores, Alabama, at about 1003 under an instrument flight rules flight plan, with Ocala International Airport (OCF) in Ocala, Florida, as the intended destination. During the cruise, the pilot requested to divert to Cross City Airport (CTY) in Cross City, Florida, due to weather.
At 1154, the pilot first contacted Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZJX) sector 13 while level at 9,000 ft mean sea level and requested the RNAV (GPS)-A approach to CTY. After a request for clarification, the controller cleared the flight direct to the initial approach fix UGLUF and subsequently cleared the RNAV Alpha approach. The controller did not provide any weather information to the pilot, including the local altimeter setting, radar-depicted precipitation, weather advisories, or current CTY weather.
According to ADS-B data, at 1214 the airplane initiated a left turn to the north, directly into an area of precipitation, with a Mode C altitude of 6,500 ft msl. The last ADS-B target was recorded at 1214:27 at a reported altitude of 6,100 ft msl, as the airplane was in a left, descending spiral. At 1218, the sector 13 controller transmitted a request for position report, but the pilot did not respond.
Meteorological Information
At the time of the accident, Tropical Storm Sally was positioned over the eastern Gulf of Mexico, with bands of rain showers and thunderstorms rotating counter-clockwise. The accident airplane flew directly into one of these building spiral rain bands, which contained moderate to heavy precipitation. High-resolution rapid refresh soundings indicated an unstable environment with potential for strong updrafts on the order of 12,000 ft per minute.
Center weather advisories (CWAs) issued at 1051 and 1159 warned of scattered moderate to heavy rain showers and thunderstorms moving northward. The 1159 CWA, issued about 16 minutes before the accident, was not broadcast to the pilot by the ZJX controller. Additionally, an AIRMET was valid for moderate turbulence below 12,000 ft.
The pilot obtained a weather briefing through ForeFlight at 0730 the morning of the accident. The briefing included forecasts for scattered to numerous thunderstorms and rain showers along the route and at the destination. Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts also indicated potential rain and thunderstorm conditions. Convective SIGMET outlook areas and an ongoing convective SIGMET were active for the region.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was located by local authorities in shallow water, about 1 nautical mile offshore and about 21 nm west-northwest of CTY. The main wreckage, comprising the forward fuselage, engine, propeller, and landing gear, was found approximately 0.34 nm northwest of the last ADS-B target. The separated left wing was about 290 ft west of the main wreckage, and the separated right wing was about 482 ft northwest. Parts of the empennage were found about 1,300 ft west-northwest. Drift from original positions was probable due to floating.
Examination revealed the fuselage separated at the cockpit area, forward of the seats. The left wing separated at the wing root with overload signatures on the main spar caps. The right wing exhibited more impact damage, with a main spar fracture about 12 inches from the root. Flight control continuity could not be fully established due to damage. The engine and propeller were attached; the propeller blades showed minimal damage with no bending or chordwise scratching. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine found no evidence of preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Additional Information
The pilot's logbook was not located after the accident, and no flight time was entered on the latest FAA medical certificate application. The student pilot-certificated passenger's logbook was also missing; his flight time was derived from his most recent medical application. The aircraft and engine logbooks were not found; inspection information came from the mechanic who performed the latest condition inspection.