Rans Employee Flying Club RANS S-12 XL accident near Prairie Du Sac, Wisconsin, June 18, 2000
On June 18, 2000 at about 9:35 pm local time, a Rans Employee Flying Club RANS S-12 XL, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N43886, was destroyed in an accident near Prairie Du Sac, Wisconsin (Sauk-Prairie Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of an obstructed fuel nozzle.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 2000 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Prairie Du Sac, Wisconsin · Sauk-Prairie Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rans Employee Flying Club RANS S-12 XL RANS S-12, amateur-built
- Registration
- N43886 · no longer on the register · serial 05960717
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that during climb after takeoff, the engine '...coughed and sputtered for approximately 5-7 sec[onds] then quit. I put the nose down and turned [right] into the wind [heading] 270, which would have landed us on the airfield. At 100 [feet] we were at 50 mph (stall 43 mph) and I attempted a restart when we were pushed to the right by a gust of wind. I put in left rudder and aileron and we stalled out. We impacted the ground wings level and nose slightly low.' No anomalies were found with respect to the airframe or control system that could be associated with a preexisting condition. During an engine teardown inspection, the carburetor float chambers were examined and were found to have contamination consistent with corrosion. This contamination was found in the bottom of the float bowl and on the main jet retainer plate. The main jet was removed and contamination particles were found in this area as well.
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: commercial pilot, flight engineer, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,127 hours in all; 73 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 5,180 as pilot in command; 2,200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 128 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 15, 2000; 8 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 91C at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,940 ft by 32 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from DLL, 14 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.