This record has been locked for editing.
| Date: | Friday 11 March 2011 |
| Time: | 09:00 |
| Type: |  Van's RV-6 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N650RV |
| MSN: | 23971 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-A1A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Grand Canyon, AZ -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Tusayan, AZ (KGCN) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Local law enforcement representatives reported that the pilot was involved in an argument with his wife the day before the accident. They further reported that early in the morning on the day of the accident, the pilot told an individual, referred to by the police as his girlfriend, that he was going to kill himself. About 0615, the pilot was seen at the airport where the airplane was based, and, by the time that the airport's air traffic control tower began operation at 0630, the pilot had already departed in the airplane. The pilot flew to another airport, landed, purchased 10 gallons of fuel, and departed about 0820. According to recorded radar track data, the airplane flew northwest for about 10 minutes before radar contact was lost. A search was conducted; however, the airplane was not immediately located and was classified as missing until May 21, 2015, when hikers found the wreckage. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed damage consistent with controlled flight into terrain. The pilot's remains were located in the wreckage. According to the autopsy report, the pilot's cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries with the manner of death being suicide.
Probable Cause: The pilot's intentional flight into terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-Mar-2011 15:58 | gerard57 | Added |
| 27-Mar-2011 06:48 | gerard57 | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
| 30-Sep-2011 16:16 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, ] |
| 30-Sep-2011 16:16 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Aircraft type, Source, ] |
| 30-Sep-2011 16:19 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 11-Mar-2012 15:41 | Geno | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 25-Jun-2016 20:23 | junior sjc | Updated [Aircraft type, Narrative, ] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
| 28-Feb-2017 16:44 | PiperOnslaught | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
| 06-Apr-2017 17:38 | junior sjc | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 27-Nov-2017 16:46 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
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