Rans S7 N25TX

Summary

On 21 April 2019 at about 19:43 local time, a Rans S7 registered N25TX was involved in an accident near Kingsland, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 April 2019 at 19:43

Classification

Accident

Location

Kingsland, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Shirley Williams (44TE)

Coordinates

30.6783, -98.4175

Aircraft

Rans S7

Registration

N25TX

Category

Airplane

Year built

2005

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kingsland → Kingsland

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN19FA122

2 people died.

The exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during a steep climb after takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and spin into terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger had recently completed maintenance work on the engine to address engine sputtering that occurred during steep climbs. A witness who was familiar with the troubleshooting stated that, on the day of the accident, the pilot's plan was to complete steep climbs to determine why the engine sputtered during that maneuver. The wind was from the south at 15 knots and gusting to 25 knots; the airplane departed to the south into the wind. The witness reported observing what he considered a "normal" takeoff, followed by a steep 15 to 20 second climb. At the top of the climb, the nose and left wing suddenly dropped, and the airplane entered a left-turning spiral, completing 3 to 4 slow rotations before impacting the ground. The witness stated that the engine sounded normal the whole time and he did not notice anything wrong. The airplane impacted the ground in a nose- and left-wing-low attitude and came to rest upright. A postimpact fire consumed a majority of the airplane. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation; however, the examination was limited due to the extent of the fire damage. The accident circumstances are consistent with pilot executing a steep climb to troubleshoot an engine issue. During the steep climb in gusting wind conditions, the airplane's critical angle of attack was exceeded which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, and spin into terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.