Amateur-built S-12 AERAILE accident near Marion, Arkansas, July 17, 1998
On July 17, 1998, a amateur-built S-12 AERAILE, registered N82584, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marion, Arkansas (Finley Airstrip airport). 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 non-certificated pilot's failure to maintain minimum required airspeed resulting in an inadvertent stall. A factor was the pilot's lack of total flight experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 1998
- Place
- Marion, Arkansas · Finley Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built S-12 AERAILE S-12 AERAI
- Registration
- N82584 · no longer on the register · serial 0195554
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the aircraft turn left from a downwind leg north of the airstrip onto a final approach for a landing to the east. The turn was made at a 50 degree angle of bank, at an altitude of approximately 150-200 feet agl. During the left turn, the aircraft's nose dropped and it descended to the ground, impacting approximately 0.4 miles west of the runway. The witnesses reported that the engine was operating during the descent and continued to operate on the ground. All flight controls were found to have continuity. The pilot reported to the FAA inspector that he was not and never had been a certificated pilot or student pilot, and his only aviation experience was having flown in an ultralight style aircraft two years ago. The pilot further reported that he 'thought the aircraft, which he had just purchased the day before the accident, was an ultralight vehicle, requiring no pilot's license to operate.' This was the pilot's first flight in the aircraft. According to the builder, the Rans S-12 Aeraile kit built aircraft was constructed in 1995 'as an amateur built aircraft, and was issued a Special Airworthiness Certificate/Experimental - Operating Amateur Built Aircraft, by the Atlanta FAA.'
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.