Amateur-built RANS S-10 accident near Benton, Kansas, October 4, 1999
On October 4, 1999 at about 11:15 pm local time, a amateur-built RANS S-10, registered N7868G, was destroyed in an accident near Benton, Kansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot inadvertently stalled the airplane. Factors relating to the accident was the undetermined loss of power and the pilot's lack of recent experience in the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 4, 1999 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Benton, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RANS S-10
- Registration
- N7868G · registry record · serial 098803
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness saw the airplane for about one or two seconds before the airplane went behind a 20 to 30 foot crest in the road. The airplane's altitude was about 150 feet above the ground and it was in a nosedive. The airplane impacted the ground in about a 30 degree nose down attitude. The engine compartment, cockpit, and left and right wings were consumed by fire after impact. The empennage remained intact and attached to the fuselage. The inspection of the wreckage revealed that all flight controls were attached to the airframe and all cables were still intact. Continuity was established to all flight controls. The carburetors and ignition system were consumed by fire. The inspection of the engine did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies. The propeller blade that was found forward of the engine was separated from the hub and it exhibited the following characteristics: no chordwise scratching, no dents or nicks in the leading edge, and no blade twist. The composite blade strands that were attached to the blade hub were separated and bent forward of the hub, and not angled opposite the plane of rotation. The pilot had flown the airplane one hour within the last five months. The toxicology report indicated the pilot had 10 times the normal dose of ephedrine detected in the blood. Ephedrine is used as a stimulant, weight loss product, decongestant, or asthma medication.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 176 hours in all; 88 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 130 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 348 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 960 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 1K1 at 11:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 130° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from ICT, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.