What happened
On December 11, 2021, an experimental, amateur-built RV-3, registration N9YY, was involved in a fatal accident near Bermuda Dunes, California. The flight was being operated as a private flight under Part 91 regulations. The pilot had planned a local flight intended to overfly his residence, located approximately 2.7 miles southwest of Bermuda Dunes Airport (UDD).
At 12:26 PM, the aircraft departed UDD. ADS-B data showed the airplane climbing to a maximum altitude of 712 feet above ground level (agl) before beginning a descending right turn. Witnesses provided varying accounts of the engine's condition: one observer noted the propeller blades appeared to be spinning slower than expected, while another witness recorded video showing the airplane in a level pitch before the nose dropped and the aircraft entered a right bank exceeding 90 degrees.
The aircraft struck a 35-foot palm tree before coming to rest upright in a residential driveway. The impact caused substantial damage to the engine cowling, fuselage, and both wings. The pilot sustained 1 fatal injury.