Rans S-12 accident near Delta, Colorado, May 3, 2020
On May 3, 2020 at about 5:10 pm local time, a 2004 Rans S-12, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N427LB, was destroyed in an accident near Delta, Colorado (Blake Field Airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during a test flight which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made September 29, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 3, 2020 · about 5:10 pm local time
- Place
- Delta, Colorado · Blake Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rans S-12, built 2004, amateur-built · all S-12s on the register
- Registration
- N427LB · no longer on the register · serial 05934191195
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the test flight was attempting to correct airplane stability issues before the flight. A witness assumed that the pilot was planning to perform a high-speed taxi test rather than flight, and that the airplane’s takeoff was unintentional. After takeoff, the airplane was seen in the airport traffic pattern at 300-400 ft above ground level. Witnesses then observed the airplane change pitch and bank while the engine was heard increasing to full power and then decreasing. The airplane stalled, impacted terrain, and was destroyed by impact forces. Post-accident examination of the airplane confirmed flight control and engine continuity. There were four ballast bags (about 25 lbs each) and two dumbbell weights (marked 35 lbs). All the ballast bags and one dumbbell weight were in the passenger seat area. High-speed taxi testing is not a test area of aircraft stability and control. Given the pilot’s previous statement of his intentions and the presence of ballast/weights in the passenger seat area, it is likely that he was experimenting with airplane stability and control when the airplane exceeded its critical angle of attack, which led to an aerodynamic stall.
The NTSB's narratives can run to many pages; this is the opening. Read the full report at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database and is rewritten in plain English only where the NTSB used codes; the probable cause and narrative are the NTSB's own words. This site 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 CEN20LA169.