Rans S18 UNREG

Summary

On 29 September 2015 at about 00:25 local time, a Rans S18 registered UNREG, operated by David Kelln, was involved in an accident near Shattuck, Oklahoma, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 September 2015 at 00:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Shattuck, Oklahoma, United States

Nearest airport

Grass Airstrip (None)

Coordinates

36.2606, -99.8556

Aircraft

Rans S18

Registration

UNREG

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

David Kelln

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Shattuck → Gage

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA432

1 person died.

The noncertificated pilot’s failure to maintain control of the unregistered airplane during initial climb and his subsequent exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle-of-attack, which resulted in a stall/spin.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The noncertificated pilot was conducting a personal flight in the noncertificated experimental, amateur-built airplane. The pilot had flown to the grass airstrip along with two other pilots, who were flying ultralight trike aircraft. One of the trike pilots reported that each pilot conducted two or three landings at the grass airstrip. The two trike pilots then taxied their aircraft to the northeast end of the airstrip to prepare to depart for the final takeoff. The accident airplane was faster than the trikes and departed while the trike pilots were still taxiing, so they did not see the accident airplane again, and no one witnessed the accident. The trike pilot stated that he believed that the accident airplane might have initially departed to the west, that he and the other trike pilot had departed to the southeast, and that it is possible that the accident pilot was turning his airplane to join them when the accident occurred. The airplane wreckage was subsequently located in a nearby field, and it was oriented to the southeast. The postaccident examination of the wreckage indicated that the airplane impacted terrain in a steep nose-down attitude consistent with a stall/spin. The examination of the airframe, engine, and propeller revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Further, no evidence was found indicating that any medical conditions or substances contributed to the accident. It is likely that the pilot was turning to the southeast after departure and then failed to maintain airplane control and exceeded the airplane's critical angle-of-attack, which resulted in a stall/spin.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.