Amateur-built RANS S-12 XL accident near Tuscola, Illinois, September 6, 1997
On September 6, 1997 at about 3:30 pm local time, a amateur-built RANS S-12 XL, registered N7304Q, was destroyed in an accident near Tuscola, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, while maneuvering, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 1997 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tuscola, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RANS S-12 XL RANS S-12
- Registration
- N7304Q · no longer on the register · serial 7950626
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he and the passenger were maneuvering in the vicinity of the passenger's house. He said, 'At a cruise speed of 60 miles per hour and 6,000 rpm, at 500 feet above ground level (agl) and a heading of 300-degrees, we entered a shallow right turn around the west side of the house. After passing the north side and heading down the east side of the house (heading approximately 150 to 180-degrees), we started to lose altitude.' The pilot lowered the nose and added full power. He then raised the nose to a level flight attitude, but the airplane continued to descend. 'At this point, impact with the ground was imminent.' Examination of the airplane revealed no anomaly.
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: 103 hours in all; 45 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 47 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 3, 1997; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 920 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K96 at 3:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from CMI, 16 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.