History of Flight
On September 19, 2020, about 0638 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built RV9A, registration N94KJ, was destroyed when it crashed near Zeeland, Michigan. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was being operated as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Recordings from the airport's common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) captured the pilot's transmissions from taxi and departure on runway 20. Shortly after departure, the pilot reported being on final approach for runway 02. No further transmissions were recorded.
ADS-B data showed the airplane departed about 0633, climbed on a southeasterly heading, then turned back toward the airport. It crossed the runway threshold at 95 knots and 200 feet above ground level (agl), then climbed and turned right toward the northeast. The last recorded data indicated the airplane was turning left on an approximate left base for runway 20 at 50 knots and 400 feet agl. Surveillance video showed the airplane pitch up and begin spinning to the right until ground impact, followed by a post-impact fire.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The pilot's logbook indicated about 15 hours of night flight experience, with the most recent night landing on October 18, 2015. He had not flown the accident airplane at night.
Twelve days before the accident, during a daytime flight in the same airplane, the pilot recorded an attitude heading reference system (AHRS) failure accompanied by a burning insulation smell. He shut down electrical equipment, including the electronic flight information system (EFIS), and landed using analog flight instruments (attitude indicator, directional gyro, airspeed indicator, and altimeter) located on the far right side of the instrument panel, which were not lighted.
The pilot, a career electrical engineer, identified a circuit card requiring replacement of a capacitor and two diodes. He removed and soldered the replacement components himself rather than purchasing a new card. The day before the accident, he flew the airplane uneventfully, noting that the AHRS and EFIS appeared functional.
Meteorological and Airport Information
On the morning of the accident, sunrise occurred at 0727, and the moon did not rise until 1000.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane impacted a farm field about 1,100 feet northeast of the runway 20 threshold, and a post-impact fire ensued. Examination revealed no anomalies with the engine or flight controls that would have precluded normal operation. Fire damage prevented assessment of avionics anomalies.
Additional Information
The last recorded data showed the airplane slowing to 50 knots while in a left turn. The wings-level stall speed for a Vans RV9 is reported as between 42 and 43 knots. At a 45° bank angle, the stall speed increases to about 50 knots.
Medical and Pathological Information
The autopsy report stated that the pilot's cause of death was atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with a natural manner of death. Examination of his heart revealed near-complete blockage of the left anterior descending coronary artery, 50% narrowing of the left circumflex coronary artery, and an old area of heart muscle scarring. Toxicology testing detected only caffeine, which is generally not considered impairing.
At the NTSB's request, an Armed Forces Medical Examiner System (AFMES) forensic pathologist reviewed the evidence and opined that the pilot's cause of death was multiple injuries with an accident manner of death, and that the contribution of his severe coronary artery disease could not be definitively determined.