History of Flight
On September 14, 2022, at about 1055 mountain daylight time, a Vans RV-6A, registration N992KS, was destroyed in an accident near Preston, Idaho. The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Earlier that morning, at about 0911, a flight of two aircraft, including the accident airplane, departed Ontario Municipal Airport (ONO) in Ontario, Oregon, on a visual-flight-rules cross-country flight in visual meteorological conditions. The pilot of the second airplane reported that the accident airplane departed first, and the two pilots established a southeasterly course toward their planned fuel stop at Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport (RKS) in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
Around 1026, the second pilot encountered weather at 9,500 ft mean sea level (msl), and both pilots began climbing. The second pilot maintained periodic visual contact with the accident airplane with about 1 nautical mile of separation but lost sight during the climb to 11,500 ft msl. Minutes before leveling off, the accident pilot transmitted that he was “picking his way through the clouds.” The second pilot observed the accident airplane on his ADS-B display at about 10,400 ft msl and advised that there were no clouds at 11,500 ft. Shortly after, he saw the accident airplane at his altitude ahead and to the right.
The second pilot recorded a cell phone video of the accident airplane and obtained weather information for RKS, which he relayed to the accident pilot. He suggested maintaining altitude but noted no problems descending at RKS. The accident pilot replied, “Sounds like a plan.” While obtaining weather, the second pilot lost visual contact.
ADS-B data showed that around 1045, the accident airplane began to descend on a southeasterly heading, reaching 9,775 ft at 1052, then climbed and turned left to an easterly heading, reaching 10,975 ft at 1054:23. The final data point at 1054:32 showed 10,575 ft with a northerly heading. Around this time, the accident pilot transmitted that he was “in a cloud and doing a 180°.” Attempts by the second pilot and Salt Lake City Air Route Traffic Control Center to contact him received no response.
The airplane impacted terrain about 2 nautical miles south of its final recorded position at an elevation of 9,209 ft msl.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. He did not hold an instrument rating. His most recent flight review was completed in October 2020. In October 2019, he reported 195 total hours of flight experience on his application for a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) third-class medical certificate. He completed BasicMed requirements in August 2021.
Aircraft Information
According to FAA records, the pilot purchased the experimental, amateur-built airplane on March 20, 2020. Before the flight, the second pilot stated that the accident pilot showed him the instrument panel, noting that two vacuum-driven instruments had been removed and replaced with a Bluetooth device that transmitted data to a tablet. The panel had two open orifices where the vacuum instruments were typically mounted.
Maintenance records indicated the most recent condition inspection was completed on May 20, 2020. A condition inspection was initiated with an invoice date of August 31, 2022, but records did not reflect its completion.
Meteorological Information
A pilot report issued at 1039 from a general aviation airplane at 11,500 ft msl and about 18 miles west of the accident site reported 10 statute miles visibility and overcast clouds between 9,000 ft and 12,000 ft msl.
Cell phone video from the second airplane depicted what appeared to be standing lenticular clouds and cumulonimbus and cumulostratus clouds ahead of the accident airplane.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted densely wooded, mountainous terrain at 9,209 ft msl. The debris path was about 198 ft long and 92 ft wide, oriented on a heading of 221° magnetic. The first identified point of contact (FIPC) was a compacted dirt swath containing blue paint fragments. A subsequent swath contained fragments of a red light lens and blue and white paint chips.
Main structural components—left wing, empennage, fuselage, and cabin—were entangled in trees about 70 ft from the FIPC. The right wing separated and came to rest about 85 ft from the FIPC, near the spinner, propeller hub, and two blades. The firewall and instrument panel separated and came to rest about 98 ft from the FIPC. The engine was located about 132 ft from the FIPC. No source of supplemental oxygen was found.
Engine examination revealed the vacuum pump was not installed on the accessory case; the orifice was covered by a blanking plate. The turn coordinator remained in the panel and sustained impact damage. The heading indicator and attitude indicator were not identified at the site.
A Talos Avionics Aeolus-Sense unit was found. According to the manufacturer, the unit integrates with the pitot/static system and includes sensors and a GPS receiver, providing artificial horizon, speed, and navigation information via tablet applications. The pilot's operational experience with the unit was not determined.
Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Franklin County Coroner's Office performed an autopsy, determining the pilot's cause of death as traumatic blunt force injuries from the crash. The FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected no drugs of abuse or ethanol in toxicological specimens from the pilot.