Wondrasek RANS S-10 SAKOTA N228DW

Summary

On 18 October 2002 at about 20:40 local time, a Wondrasek RANS S-10 SAKOTA registered N228DW was involved in an accident near Missouri Valley, Iowa, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 October 2002 at 20:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Missouri Valley, Iowa, United States

Nearest airport

Missouri Valley (K35)

Coordinates

41.5502, -95.8901

Aircraft

Wondrasek RANS S-10 SAKOTA

Registration

N228DW

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Missouri Valley → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI03LA013

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain control and adequate airspeed, resulting in the inadvertent stall/spin. A factor was the low altitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane, piloted by a student pilot, was destroyed on impact with terrain following a loss of control while attempting an aborted landing. A witness stated that he saw the airplane approaching to land but did not observe the landing. He stated that he saw the airplane climb out at a very steep angle. He said the airplane appeared to stall when it was at an altitude of about 300 feet above the ground. He said that, when the airplane stalled, the right wing dropped and the airplane entered a vertical dive. The airplane subsequently impacted the ground. Another witness said that he saw the airplane approaching the runway from the south. He said that the airplane was, "coming in fast and steep," and that the airplane hit the runway at a steep angle. The airplane had not been issued an airworthiness certificate or amateur built operating limitations by the Federal Aviation Administration. An examination of the wreckage revealed no preexisting anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.