Amateur-built RAVEN accident near Brandt, South Dakota, April 11, 1998
On April 11, 1998 at about 3:00 pm local time, a amateur-built RAVEN, registered N17JR, was destroyed in an accident near Brandt, South Dakota. 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's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall. A factor contributing to this accident was the pilot's lack of 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
- April 11, 1998 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Brandt, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RAVEN
- Registration
- N17JR · no longer on the register · serial 5
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness said that he heard the airplane approach his farm from the north. 'The motor was pretty loud.' The airplane was traveling north to south at an altitude of approximately 100 feet above ground level (agl). The airplane came to a position due west of where the witness was standing, and made a flat turn. After the pilot completed the turn, the airplane lost altitude. 'It was in a flat attitude as it descended. It didn't seem like the nose [of the airplane] dipped down.' The witness said that he lost sight of the airplane when it went behind some trees. He said that he heard the airplane impact on the ground. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies. The pilot told a witness, two weeks prior to the accident, that 'he only had about an hour's worth of flight time' in the airplane. Another witness said that the pilot might have flown the airplane the day before the accident, but it was more likely that he just did taxi tests. FAA toxicology testing of specimens from the pilot revealed volatile concentrations of bupropion in blood and liver samples.
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: 84 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 26 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 18, 1998
- Maximum gross weight: 750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 618 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SD11 Clear Lake SD at 1:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KAT, 295 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.