On December 11, 2021, a MOUL WILLIS RV-3 (registration N9YY) operated by WALLACE JAMES A was involved in an aviation accident near Bermuda Dunes, CA. One person was killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s improper positioning of the fuel shutoff valve, which resulted in a loss of engine power, and the pilot’s subsequent exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control. This summary draws on records from NTSB.
An experimental RV-3, N9YY, crashed near Bermuda Dunes, California, on December 11, 2021, killing the pilot. The aircraft sustained substantial damage after a descending right turn following takeoff.
Accident Overview and Flight Details On December 11, 2021, at approximately 1230 Pacific standard time, an experimental, amateur-built RV-3 airplane, registration N9YY, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bermuda Dunes, California. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight was conducted as a personal operation under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to a friend who spoke with the pilot’s wife after the incident, the pilot had planned a local flight with the intention of overflying his home, located about 2.7 miles southwest of Bermuda Dunes Airport (UDD) in Palm Springs, California. ## Flight Track and Witness Accounts A security camera at UDD recorded the airplane lifting off at 1226:17. Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) showed that at 1226:55, the aircraft was about 0.6 miles southwest of UDD at an altitude of 517 feet above ground level (AGL), on a heading consistent with a track toward the pilot’s residence. The airplane overflew a portion of the city of Bermuda Dunes and maintained a southeast heading for about 1.3 miles. At 1227:22, it overflew a 300-foot-by-900-foot vacant lot. Approximately 10 seconds later, the aircraft reached a maximum altitude of 712 feet AGL. Nine seconds after that, it had descended to 672 feet AGL and began a right turn. The airplane continued this descending right turn until the end of the track data at 1228:22, when it was on a heading of 124° at a low altitude, about 525 feet north of the accident site. Multiple witnesses observed the airplane in flight. One witness, located about 0.7 miles west of the accident site, reported first hearing a loud airplane and then seeing it in a descending right turn. She noted that the individual propeller blades were spinning but not as fast as she expected. Another witness, about 1,500 feet north of the accident site, saw the airplane in a normal attitude traveling from north to south at a very low altitude and could not hear the engine. A third witness, about 1,000 feet north of the site, captured a 10-second video just before the accident. The video showed the airplane in a near-level pitch attitude traveling southeast, with no engine noise heard. The pitch attitude increased, and the airplane entered a right bank. In the final moments, the airplane was in a right bank angle exceeding 90° as the nose dropped. ## Wreckage and Post-Accident Examination The airplane came to rest upright on a residential driveway about 1.3 miles southwest of UDD. The first point of impact was a palm tree about 35 feet in height, located about 50 feet north of the wreckage. The top portion of the palm tree lay adjacent to the airplane, and one of the airplane’s wooden propeller blades was found at the base of the tree. All major structural components remained attached, and flight control continuity was established to all flight control surfaces. The forward engine cowling area exhibited crush damage with embedded palm fronds. Crush damage to the fuselage, aft of the firewall, extended to the cockpit area. The right wing showed substantial damage to the leading edge, and the left wing showed substantial damage to the leading edge near the root. The empennage exhibited only minor damage. Post-accident examination revealed a fuel shutoff valve mounted to the underside of the breached fuel tank. The valve handle had no markings to identify an open or closed position and was positioned 90° to the fuel line. When disassembled and examined, the fuel passage was open about 50% when the handle was set at 90° to the fuel line. Moving the handle aft to the 135° position shut off the fuel flow, while pushing it forward to the 45° position opened the fuel passage 100%. A first responder reported that he did not see anyone manipulate the fuel shutoff valve following the accident. By the time responders arrived, all the fuel had drained from the tank, and no one was concerned about closing the valve. Recovery personnel reported that about 8 gallons of fuel drained out of the tank after the accident. Post-accident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.