Amateur-built RANS S-10 SAKOTA accident near Columbia, South Carolina, November 22, 1997
On November 22, 1997 at about 4:30 pm local time, a amateur-built RANS S-10 SAKOTA, registered N803DR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Columbia, South Carolina (Columbia Owens Downtown airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the airplane builder's improper routing of vinyl/plastic cooling/vent line(s) for the engine oil system, and improper materials supplied by the manufacturer, which led to overheating of the line(s) in the engine compartment and an in-flight fire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 22, 1997 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Columbia, South Carolina · Columbia Owens Downtown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RANS S-10 SAKOTA RANS S-10
- Registration
- N803DR · registry record · serial 0297180
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After takeoff, the airplane developed an engine compartment fire that spread to the fuselage after the airplane landed. According to an FAA inspector, there were blue vinyl/plastic tubing lines in the engine compartment, close to the exhaust pipes. There was evidence these lines began burning after being exposed to heat from the exhaust. The kit manufacturer stated that these lines were not supposed to be used forward of the firewall, and all lines within the engine compartment should have been routed according to engineering drawings and common sense. The owner/pilot/builder stated the drawings that he received depicted the blue tubing lines as part of the cooling and oil venting system, inside the engine compartment. He also stated that the engineering drawings he received for the routing of lines within the engine compartment were not based on the engine used in his airplane. Drawings provided to the Safety Board by the kit manufacturer showed the blue lines as part of the cooling system within the engine compartment.
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
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,307 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 1,307 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 42 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 26, 1997; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CUB at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 4,999 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,900 ft; scat at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:20 pm from CAE, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.