Sutphin RANS S-12 N8028W

Summary

On 11 October 2013 at about 21:00 local time, a Sutphin RANS S-12 registered N8028W was involved in an accident near French Lick, Indiana, 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.

Date

11 October 2013 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

French Lick, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

French Lick Municipal Airport (FRH)

Coordinates

38.5061, -86.6369

Aircraft

Sutphin RANS S-12

Registration

N8028W

Category

Airplane

Year built

1995

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

French Lick → French Lick

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14LA045

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while in a steep turn, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/mush at a low altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After a short local flight, which consisted of several uneventful turns, the pilot decided to return to the airport for a landing. He reported that the airplane started to lose altitude as he made a right turn to enter the downwind leg of the landing pattern. The pilot responded by advancing the throttle to maximum engine power; however, he was unable to increase airspeed or arrest the descent before the airplane collided with a tree. The passenger reported that the airplane appeared to lose altitude as the pilot performed a steep right turn over a wooded area southwest of the airport. A postaccident airframe examination and engine test run revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. Wind at the nearest aviation weather reporting station about the time of the accident were calm. The pilot's inability to arrest the airplane's descent or increase its airspeed during a steep turn in the airport traffic pattern, despite his application of full engine power, is consistent with the airplane having encountered an aerodynamic stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.