Rans S-12XL Airaile accident near Picacho Peak, AZ
On June 8, 2024, a Rans S-12XL Airaile (airplane) was involved in an accident near Picacho Peak, AZ. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 8, 2024
- Place
- Picacho Peak, AZ
- Aircraft
- Rans S-12XL Airaile · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 32.635°N, 111.401°W
- NTSB ID
- 20240608194418
Official records · WPR24FA185
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 8, 2024, about 0721 mountain standard time (MST), an experimental amateur-built Rans S-12XL Airaile airplane, N518D, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Picacho Peak, Arizona. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to witnesses, on the morning of the accident the pilot departed La Cholla Airpark, Tucson, Arizona, about 0700 and flew northwest about 23 nm to the area of Picacho Peak State Park, Arizona. Witnesses hiking near the accident site reported that the airplane was flying “dangerously close to the mountain.” The airplane subsequently impacted the northwest side of the mountain, about 81 ft below the summit. Video evidence was provided by a passenger of a previous flight with the pilot; this pilot-rated passenger described the flight as their normal practice of “buzzing the hikers” as they have been doing for the last 16 years. The cellphone video footage begins with the airplane inflight just southwest of, and above, the summit, orbiting clockwise. The flight path continued north; the airplane flew west to east over the ridgeline and established a flight path from north to south. While flying south, the airplane converged with the ridgeline and flew over the summit at a low altitude. An instrument-rated private pilot who had previously flown with the accident pilot as a passenger reported that during their flight the accident pilot mentioned his interest in flying low to the ground, allowing him to interact with p
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to conduct a low-altitude flight in mountainous terrain and his subsequent loss of airplane control after encountering mechanical turbulence, which resulted in an impact with the terrain.
More accidents in AZ
- De Havilland DHC-6-300, Sep 27, 1989
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- Cessna 421C, Sep 2, 1995
Browse: Arizona · Rans aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
