Controlled Flight Into Terrain · NTSB WPR11FA490
RADFORD RV-6 — Grand Canyon, AZ
| Date | March 11, 2011 |
| Location | Grand Canyon, AZ |
| Aircraft | RADFORD RV-6 (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 47 |
| Pilot total time | 1,900 hrs · Experienced |
| Time in type | 100 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Miscellaneous-Intentional act-Suicide-Pilot - C
What happened
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.