Accident Van’s RV-7 N977RV,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 314691
 
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Date:Friday 2 June 2023
Time:09:07
Type:Silhouette image of generic RV7 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Van’s RV-7
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N977RV
MSN: 71409
Year of manufacture:2005
Fatalities:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:Gibbon, NE -   United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Broomfield-Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, CO (BJC/KBJC)
Destination airport:Red Oak Municipal Airport, IA (KRDK)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities
Narrative:
On June 2, 2023, at about 0907 Central Daylight Time, a Vans RV-7, N977RV, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident in Gibbon, Nebraska. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) data revealed that the airplane departed Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC), Denver, Colorado, at 0610 and proceeded direct toward Red Oak Municipal Airport (RDK), Red Oak, Iowa. The pilot filed an instrument flight plan. About two hours after departure from BJC, at an altitude of 15,000 ft mean sea level (msl), the pilot requested a lower altitude from air traffic control (ATC) due to encountering ice. The controller gave the pilot a block altitude between 11,000 and 15,000 ft msl, and the pilot began a descent. Shortly after the pilot began his descent, the controller advised him that there was “extreme precipitation” in the area. About one minute later, the controller told the pilot that he was permitted a lower altitude if he wished to continue to descend. There was no further response from the pilot.

Dashboard camera footage from a car traveling east bound on Interstate 80, captured the airplane descending in a nose-down attitude. The airplane impacted an open grassy area surrounded by trees about 260 ft south of the interstate. The debris field was generally aligned on a 257° heading, and the main wreckage came to rest upright. Ground scaring at the accident site confirmed that the airplane was in a nose-down attitude when it struck the ground. The initial impact point consisted of a two-foot deep crater with the propeller embedded in it. The propeller was still intact at the hub; however, it was separated from the engine flange.

The dashboard board camera footage also revealed that it was raining heavily at the time of the accident with a low overcast cloud layer. Weather radar images at the time of the accident depicted heavy precipitation and thunderstorms in the vicinity.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: CEN23FA220
Status: Preliminary report
Duration:
Download report: Preliminary report

Sources:

https://www.ksnblocal4.com/2023/06/02/no-survivor-plane-crash-near-kearney/
https://www.newschannelnebraska.com/story/49025321/no-survivors-in-singleengine-plane-crash-east-of-kearney
https://central.newschannelnebraska.com/story/49046089/buffalo-county-plane-crash-victim-identified

NTSB
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N977RV

https://live.staticflickr.com/924/43239667711_203bbfb478_b.jpg (photo)

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
02-Jun-2023 21:34 Geno Added
03-Jun-2023 02:30 RobertMB Updated
03-Jun-2023 05:24 johnwg Updated
05-Jun-2023 08:48 Captain Adam Updated
09-Jun-2023 21:43 Captain Adam Updated

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

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