Amateur-built RANS S-12 accident near Gardner, Kansas, September 28, 2015
On September 28, 2015 at about 1:25 pm local time, a 2013 amateur-built RANS S-12, registered N98ES, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Gardner, Kansas (Gardner Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate airspeed control and the airplane’s exceedance of its critical angle-of-attack during the forced landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the loss of engine power due to fuel starvation caused by contaminants in the fuel tank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 2015 · about 1:25 pm local time
- Place
- Gardner, Kansas · Gardner Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RANS S-12, built 2013
- Registration
- N98ES · registry record · serial 12111027
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that, shortly after departure, the engine experienced a loss of power, and he maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing. A witness observed the airplane pitch up, stall, and roll into a spin before impacting terrain in a near-vertical attitude. A postaccident examination of the airplane found that fuel delivery to the engine was restricted by grease in the fuel tanks. It is likely that the engine was starved of fuel due to the grease contamination, which led to the loss of power. However, the pilot did not subsequently maintain the airplane's airspeed and angle-of-attack as he maneuvered for the forced landing, and the airplane experienced 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
- Fuel contamination during prior to flight
- Loss of engine power (partial) during takeoff
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- factor Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 500 hours in all; 72 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 670 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K34 Gardner KS at 1:25 pm
- Destination: K34 Gardner KS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from KIXD, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN15LA431.