Rans S-12 XL UNREG
9 October 2002 · Los Banos, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 9 October 2002 at about 19:00 local time, a Rans S-12 XL registered UNREG, operated by Jean P. Lopez (Poulleau), was involved in an accident near Los Banos, California, United States. 2 people were 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.
The record
- Date
- at 19:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Los Banos, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 37.2000, -120.8000
- Aircraft
- Rans S-12 XL
- Registration
- UNREG
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Jean P. Lopez (Poulleau)
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Harris Ranch → Turlock
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX03LA004
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed resulting in a stall. A contributing factor was the pilot's decision to conduct a downwind takeoff.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The unregistered airplane lost power during takeoff from a clearing in a wildlife refuge, impacted terrain, cartwheeled, and came to rest inverted. A buffeting in cruise flight had caused the pilot to make a precautionary landing. The pilot knew that the engine would exceed red line (overspeed) each time that he applied full power. He attributed this to the propeller pitch setting that he had made before a previous flight. He thought that the blades might have come loose due to the engine vibrations. The propeller blades were ground adjustable, but he did not have the proper equipment to make the adjustments with him. After a 30-second engine run on the ground and observing nothing abnormal, he proceeded with the takeoff. A Department of Interior officer responding to the airplane's landing in a wildlife refuge reported that the pilot took off downwind. A post accident examination revealed no discrepancies that could account for the loss of power.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Rans S-12 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Apr 2003 | Rans S-12 | West Point, Tennessee, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Apr 1997 | Rans S-12 | Goldsby, Oklahoma, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 May 2008 | Rans S-12 XL | Pelion, South Carolina, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 2009 | Rans S-12 XL AIRAILE | Marana, Arizona, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 13 Nov 1995 | Rans S-12 | Plant City, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 18 Sep 1994 | Rans S-12 AIRAILE | Clearwater, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jul 2002 | Ayres S2R-T34 | Firebaugh, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Nov 2002 | Beechcraft A36TC | San Andreas, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 5 May 2002 | Sierra RAF 2000 GTX-SE | Lompoc, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Mar 2002 | Trenti RV-4 | Jacumba, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Feb 2002 | Thunder and Colt COLT 120 A | Moreno Valley, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2002 | Pzl-Bielsko SZD-42-2 JANTAR | Hemet, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |