Van'S Aircraft, Inc. RV-12 accident near Windom, Minnesota, August 29, 2011
On August 29, 2011 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Van'S Aircraft, Inc. RV-12, registered N73712, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Windom, Minnesota (Windom 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 loss of airplane control after liftoff due to his distraction with the unsecured canopy, which he did not lock before takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 2011 · about 2:30 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Windom, Minnesota · Windom Municipal Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Van'S Aircraft, Inc. RV-12
- Registration
- N73712 · registry record · serial 120034
- 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 he inadvertently did not secure the canopy latch after entering the cabin. After liftoff, he noticed air entering the cockpit from the unsecured canopy. He stated that he was distracted with securing the canopy as the airplane descended toward the runway. The airplane collided with the runway as he attempted to reestablish a level flight attitude. The airplane subsequently slid off the right side of the runway into a soybean field. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded the normal operation of the airplane. Additionally, he stated that the accident could have been prevented had he focused on flying the airplane instead of attempting to secure the unlatched canopy.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
- Runway excursion during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Attention › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Doors › Passenger/crew doors › Not specified other cases naming the airframe structure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,986 hours in all; 154 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 3,903 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 20, 2009
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 101 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 21, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 ULS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KMWM Windom MN at 2:30 pm
- Destination: KMWM Windom MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,599 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 2:32 pm from KMWM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on February 8, 2012. 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 | Memorandum of Conversation (Marlyn Bartsch, Pilot) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Weather Reports | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N73712 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Rotax 912 ULS 62 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Windom Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Minnesota 1,544 since 1982 · 209 in the last ten years
- Minnesota 6,953 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN11LA601.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.