Amateur-built RV 6 N90LK accident near Ridgefield, Washington

Probable cause

The pilots' inadvertent exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack following an inflight collision with a bird.

NTSB analysis

The pilot and flight instructor were conducting a local flight as part of a flight review. Radar data showed that the airplane departed and proceeded to a nearby airport, where it entered the traffic pattern. The last recorded radar target was located abeam the end of the runway, at an altitude of about 500 ft above ground level. There were no known witnesses to the accident sequence.

The airplane came to rest upright, partially submerged within a pond, about 1,000 ft from the approach end of the runway. Wreckage and impact signatures from surrounding terrain were consistent with a near-vertical impact. Examination revealed no anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Bird remains were found on the right (outboard) arm/clothing of the flight instructor and within the engine compartment. The remains were identified as a species common to the accident locale. It is likely that a bird strike occurred while the airplane was maneuvering in the traffic pattern for landing, resulting in a breach of the canopy/windscreen. Given the lack of mechanical anomalies and the orientation of the wreckage, it is likely that the pilots became distracted and exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and loss of control.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR19FA124 for the full record.