What happened
On June 7, 2023, at approximately 10:15 EDT, a Vans RV-6, registration N835BC, crashed near Colonial Beach, Virginia. The aircraft was being operated under Part 91 for personal flight.
A witness observed the aircraft performing two circles around a residence approximately 30 minutes after the pilot and passenger departed from a nearby private airstrip. During the second circle, the aircraft entered a very steep, "knife-edge" bank while flying in a tight circle roughly 100 feet above the ground. The aircraft's nose then dropped, and it impacted the ground near a driveway in a near-vertical attitude. A post-impact fire consumed much of the aircraft.
The accident resulted in 2 fatal injuries.
The investigation
Examination of the wreckage showed the aircraft impacted the ground in a nose-down attitude and came to rest upright. The wreckage site was compact, and all major components were recovered at the site. While the fuselage, instrument panel, and cabin were consumed by fire, the rudder, elevator, and vertical stabilizer remained intact. Both wings were accordion-crushed aft but remained attached to the fuselage.
The engine and its accessories sustained fire damage, with many components melted. However, mechanical testing confirmed crankshaft continuity and valve action on three of the four cylinders, and a borescope examination of all cylinders showed no anomalies. The wood propeller was found fractured into several pieces near the impact crater. Investigators found no evidence of pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have prevented normal operation.