Rans S-10 accident near Ponder, Texas, October 19, 2003
On October 19, 2003 at about 9:35 pm local time, a Rans S-10, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N190SP, was destroyed in an accident near Ponder, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to conduct low altitude maneuvering flight and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 19, 2003 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Ponder, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rans S-10, amateur-built
- Registration
- N190SP · registry record · serial 0290089
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to several witnesses, the homebuilt experimental airplane was maneuvering above the private pilot's residence when they observed the airplane "pitch up," and then stall, before impacting the ground in a nose low attitude. One witness, who was a neighbor of the 314-hour pilot, reported that the pilot took off from a field in front of his house and made a pass over his front yard approximately 200 feet agl. While passing over the field, the pilot appeared to "lean out of the right side" of the cockpit and "waved" at his neighbors. The airplane then pitched nose up, rolled to the right, and flew "straight into the ground" in a nose-down attitude. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the airplane appeared to have impacted the ground in a nose-low attitude. All flight control surfaces appeared to have no pre-impact anomalies. Flight control cables and push-pull tubes did not show evidence of pre-impact failures or binding.
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: 314 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,176 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 960 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Ponder TX at 9:30 pm
- Destination: NONE Ponder TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from DTO
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.