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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 2013 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- French Lick, Indiana · French Lick Municipal 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
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 N8028W 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.