Amateur-built RANS S-12 accident near Hilliard, Florida, August 31, 2022
On August 31, 2022 at about 2:35 pm local time, a 1995 amateur-built RANS S-12, registered N8028W, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern base) near Hilliard, Florida (Hilliard Airpark airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 an adequate airspeed, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 2022 · about 2:35 pm local time
- Place
- Hilliard, Florida · Hilliard Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RANS S-12, built 1995
- Registration
- N8028W · no longer on the register · serial 0894513
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that he was practicing touch-and-go landings in the accident airplane. While approaching the runway at an altitude of about 400 feet, and while in the turn from the base to the final leg of the traffic pattern, the pilot described that he allowed the airspeed to get too slow and the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall. The airplane subsequently impacted trees and terrain, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach (VFR pattern base) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 18 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 120 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 1, 2021; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 975 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 45 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,600 ft by 125 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 29.99 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 am from KJAX, 16 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KJAX 311456Z 26003KT 10SM SCT021 BKN250 31/26 A2999 RMK AO2 SLP154 T03060256 53006
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on April 27, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 Memorandum for Record | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N8028W the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.