Accident Overview
On September 13, 2022, at approximately 1700 eastern daylight time, a Vans RV-7A, registration N40WB, sustained substantial damage during an accident near Warrenton, Virginia. The commercial pilot, who was also the airplane owner, was not injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal cross-country flight.
Flight and Emergency Response
According to the pilot, the airplane was in cruise flight at 2,500 ft mean sea level when the engine began to sputter and surge, followed rapidly by a total loss of power. The pilot executed the emergency checklist, switching fuel tanks, activating the fuel boost pump, and enriching the mixture to full, but multiple attempts to restore power were unsuccessful. Due to the densely populated surroundings, the pilot opted to land in a pond. During the landing, the airplane impacted the water with a left-wing-low attitude, cartwheeled, and flipped over, coming to rest inverted.
Wreckage and Recovery
Photographs of the wreckage confirmed substantial damage: both wings were crushed, and the airframe was buckled. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the left fuel tank was full and the fuel selector was positioned to the left tank. Local authorities requested a towing company without aircraft recovery specialization to retrieve the wreckage from the pond and transport it to their yard. The wreckage was subsequently discarded before any further examination could be conducted.