Rans S-12 accident near West Point, Tennessee, April 19, 2003
On April 19, 2003 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Rans S-12, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Point, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate obstacle clearance which resulted in the inflight collision with a utility line. A factor was utility lines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 19, 2003 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- West Point, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rans S-12, amateur-built · all S-12s on the register
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 1192332
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to a witness, the pilot was departing to the north under some high voltage power lines which ran northeast to southwest about 50 feet above the ground. After takeoff both wings on airplane had folded upward. The airplane turned northwest and executed a 180-degree turn. As the airplane approached the strip heading southeasterly, it began to bank to the left to align with the strip's southerly heading. As it banked the left wing contacted the wires and the airplane collided with the ground inverted at about a 45-degree nose down attitude. The airplane was found 100 feet from the point of wire contact, on the northeast side of the departure end of the airstrip. Examination of the unregistered airplane revealed crush damage to the cockpit area, and the left wing was separated about 18 inches outboard of the wing tip.
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
Pilot
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 289 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT West Point TN at 11:30 pm
- Destination: PVT West Point TN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from BNA, 96 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.