Christian RANS S-12 N12FC

Summary

On 3 March 2001 at about 17:30 local time, a Christian RANS S-12 registered N12FC was involved in an accident near Ramona, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 March 2001 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Ramona, California, United States

Coordinates

33.0700, -116.8291

Aircraft

Christian RANS S-12

Registration

N12FC

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Barona → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX01LA107

Nobody was injured.

The in-flight failure of the engine crankshaft for undetermined reasons.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, the engine lost power while in cruise flight. He attempted to land in a small canyon, or ravine area, and was unable to avoid a single tree that was directly in front of him in the center of the ravine. The left wing struck the tree and the right wing was bent when it struck the ground. The pilot, who is also the builder of the airplane, inspected the engine and found a broken crankshaft at the number 1 piston rod attach point. The engine had oil and no other anomalies were observed. The pilot reported that the engine was overhauled 20 hours prior to the accident. The manufacturer of the engine stated that the engine life for this model is 300 hours or 5 years. The engine in the accident airplane was manufactured on March 10, 1991. The manufacturer said they have no service history of crankshaft failures in this particular model engine. The crankshaft is required to be replaced at each overhaul. The engine was overhauled at a facility that only provides engines for ultralight aircraft. The owner of the facility stated that he does not approve of the use of his engines in certified airplanes. He said he recalled overhauling this engine but could not remember the date, and does not believe the crankshaft was replaced. The crankshaft was not provided for metallurgical examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.