Amateur-built Rans S-4 Coyote accident near Lake Pleasant, Arizona, January 11, 2013
On January 11, 2013, a amateur-built Rans S-4 Coyote, registered N571K, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Lake Pleasant, Arizona (Peoria airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power during cruise flight for reasons that could not be determined because the airplane was not recovered.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 11, 2013
- Place
- Lake Pleasant, Arizona · Peoria · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Rans S-4 Coyote
- Registration
- N571K · no longer on the register · serial 0308336
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that, after about 30 minutes of flight, he advanced the throttle and the engine went to idle power then stopped. He restarted the engine and determined that it would only operate at idle power before it stopped again. He was flying over rocky terrain and determined that the best option was to ditch the airplane in a nearby river. After ditching the airplane in the river, the pilot swam to shore. The airplane sank and will not be recovered.
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
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Ditching during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Water › Not specified
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 905 hours in all; 430 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 57 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 669 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KP48 Peoria AZ at 11:30 pm
- Destination: KP48 Peoria AZ
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KDVT, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.