Amateur-built RANS S-12 accident near French Lick, Indiana, October 11, 2013
On October 11, 2013 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 1995 amateur-built RANS S-12, registered N8028W, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern downwind) near French Lick, Indiana (French Lick Municipal 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 pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while in a steep turn, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/mush at a low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 2013 · about 9:00 pm local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- French Lick, Indiana · French Lick Municipal Airport · cases near this airport · 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-12, built 1995
- Registration
- N8028W · no longer on the register · serial 0894513
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After a short local flight, which consisted of several uneventful turns, the pilot decided to return to the airport for a landing. He reported that the airplane started to lose altitude as he made a right turn to enter the downwind leg of the landing pattern. The pilot responded by advancing the throttle to maximum engine power; however, he was unable to increase airspeed or arrest the descent before the airplane collided with a tree. The passenger reported that the airplane appeared to lose altitude as the pilot performed a steep right turn over a wooded area southwest of the airport. A postaccident airframe examination and engine test run revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. Wind at the nearest aviation weather reporting station about the time of the accident were calm. The pilot's inability to arrest the airplane's descent or increase its airspeed during a steep turn in the airport traffic pattern, despite his application of full engine power, is consistent with the airplane having encountered an aerodynamic stall.
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
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern downwind) defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach (VFR pattern downwind)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR pattern downwind)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 10 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 22, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FRH French Lick IN at 8:40 pm
- Destination: FRH French Lick IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from HNB, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on December 18, 2013. 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 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Passenger Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Inspector Statement (Leslie Thompson) | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N8028W the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8028W: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Engine: Rotax 582 62 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- French Lick Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Indiana 1,367 since 1982 · 179 in the last ten years
- Indiana 5,701 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N8028W 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN14LA045.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.