Thomas David W RANS S-12 XL N81788

Summary

On 18 May 2013 at about 23:30 local time, a Thomas David W RANS S-12 XL registered N81788, operated by Keri Jean Marazan, was involved in an accident near Cleveland, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 May 2013 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Cleveland, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Mountain Airpark (0GE5)

Coordinates

34.5617, -83.7136

Aircraft

Thomas David W RANS S-12 XL

Registration

N81788

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Keri Jean Marazan

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cleveland → Cleveland

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13CA250

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering after takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of overall recent flight experience and lack of experience in make and model.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting his first flight in the two-seat experimental amateur-built airplane, with the non-certificated pilot/owner seated in the right seat. The pilot reported that the airplane accelerated and departed from the turf runway without incident; however, as it climbed to an altitude about 300 feet above the ground, he entered a left 180-degree turn. During the turn, the airplane inadvertently stalled, and descended into a pond, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. Both occupants were able to exit the airplane and stated that they did not experience any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported about 1,600 hours of total flight experience with no previous flight hours in make and model. In addition, he had not flown at all during the previous 7 months. The owner had accumulated about 30 hours in the accident airplane. He stated that he had seen the pilot flying other airplanes in the past and assumed he was capable of the flying the accident airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.