Amateur-built RANS S7S accident near Winnemucca, Nevada, January 16, 2022
On January 16, 2022 at about 3:15 pm local time, a 2005 amateur-built RANS S7S, registered N828S, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Winnemucca, Nevada (Winnemucca Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to ensure the airplane’s wings were free of contaminates before departure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 2022 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Winnemucca, Nevada · Winnemucca Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RANS S7S, built 2005
- Registration
- N828S · no longer on the register · serial 0504374
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, before takeoff he noticed a visible layer of frost covering the airplane’s wings. He removed the frost with a towel and proceeded with the engine warm up and preflight checks which lasted about 20 minutes. During the initial climb, the airplane felt “mushy” and failed to gain altitude. The pilot elected to conduct an off-airport landing to a brush covered field. During the landing the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that the frost must have reformed before takeoff and that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Structural icing during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to structural icing › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 973 hours in all; 550 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 973 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 31, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,326 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 30, 2021; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 1,326 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KWMC Winnemucca NV at 3:15 pm
- Destination: UO2 Blackfoot ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 020, 4,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 080° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 am from KWMC, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KWMC 161656Z AUTO 08003KT 10SM CLR M01/M03 A3027 RMK AO2 SLP273 T10111033
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 21, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.