Amateur-built RANS S-12 AIRAILE accident near Buffalo, Wyoming, August 23, 2000
On August 23, 2000 at about 1:15 pm local time, a amateur-built RANS S-12 AIRAILE, registered N586WP, was destroyed in an accident near Buffalo, Wyoming. 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
the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing. Contributing factors were the power failure due to a failed rod bearing, and down draft weather condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 2000 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Buffalo, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RANS S-12 AIRAILE RANS S-12
- Registration
- N586WP · no longer on the register · serial 1191149
- 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 was flying at approximately 1,000 feet above the ground when the engine lost power. He selected a landing site for a forced landing, but an unexpected downdraft changed his glide path. He turned to avoid a house, and landed hard on a road. The airplane subsequently slid approximately 50 feet into a fence. Postaccident evaluation of the engine by a mechanic revealed that a rod bearing had failed, and subsequently its associated piston rod bent.
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: 100 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 180 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 19, 2000; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BYG at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 162°F (72°C), dew point 93°F (34°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from BYG, 6 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.