Rans, Inc. S-11 PURSUIT accident near Hays, Kansas, September 29, 1997
On September 29, 1997, a Rans, Inc. S-11 PURSUIT, registered N4299Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hays, Kansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and collision with the terrain. The pilot's lack of experience in the make and model of airplane was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 1997
- Place
- Hays, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rans, Inc. S-11 PURSUIT S-11 PURSU
- Registration
- N4299Y · no longer on the register · serial 2
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, who worked as an aviation mechanic for the aircraft manufacturer, installed vortex generators on the wings and fuselage of a Rans S-11. He then flew the S-11, while a chase plane followed. The S-11 pilot slowed the airplane to let the chase plane catch up. The pilot of the chase plane reported that the S-11's altitude was about 1,500 feet AGL, but the airspeed was slow. He observed the airplane doing slight Dutch rolls and '...just mushing along.' The S-11's nose pitched down and started a 1/4 spin to the left. The aircraft started to pull up from the nose down spin attitude, and then made a shallow arc before impacting the ground. The pilot of the S-11 was not a test pilot. He had a total of 3 hours in the S-11. The S-11 pilot reported the flight was a personal flight. The company did not have a policy for test flying airplanes. The engine and flight controls exhibited continuity.
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: 376 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 321 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 259 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 9, 1997; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 950 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:14 am from HYS, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.