Scott Rans S-12 accident near Seneca, NY
On September 12, 2004, a Scott Rans S-12 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Seneca, NY. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 12, 2004
- Place
- Seneca, NY
- Aircraft
- Scott Rans S-12 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 42.884°N, 77.069°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040916X01442
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 12, 2004, at 1306 eastern daylight time, a homebuilt Rans S-12, N195CB, was destroyed during a collision with terrain following an uncontrolled descent in Seneca Castle, New York. The certificated student pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local personal flight that originated at the pilot's home in Geneva, New York, exact time unknown. No flight plan was filed for the local flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. Three witnesses provided sworn statements to the local Sheriff. One witness observed the airplane in a climbing right turn. He said that he thought the pilot was "goofing off" because of the steepness of the turn. The airplane continued to turn through 360 degrees, then the nose pointed towards the ground. The airplane spiraled straight down, and during the airplane's descent, the witness noticed a white streamer trailing behind the airplane that looked like a kite tail. A second witness stated that he was working adjacent to the pilot's grass strip, and watched the airplane perform a low approach to approximately 5 feet above the landing surface, then depart to the north. His attention was diverted away from the airplane, but when he looked back, the cockpit was "facing straight down." A third witness stated that she heard a plane with engine trouble and looked up. The airplane was 150 to 200 feet above the ground and "starting to spiral downward", before it dove straight down. The engine sound did not stop, but was "sputtering". The accident occurred during the hours of daylight, approximat
Probable cause
The student pilot's failure to maintain airspeed above stall speed, which resulted in an inadvertant stall/spin. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of pilot certification.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
