RANS S12 — Socorro, NM

What happened

The pilot departed on his third flight in the recently purchased experimental, amateur-built airplane and remained in the vicinity of the airport, where he completed several turn maneuvers. The airplane impacted a transient parking area at the airport and came to rest in an adjacent parking lot with substantial damage. There were no eyewitnesses to the accident. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot had previously communicated with the manufacturer about stability issues with the airplane. The manufacturer stated that the airplane required a total weight of 260 lbs in the seats to fly properly, and that the stability issues may be related to a lack of ballast. Two bags of ballast weight were found with the main wreckage and in the forward cabin area; however, the total weight of the ballast could not be determined due to loss of weight from damaged bags. Due to the loss of material from the ballast bags and the unknown amount of fuel onboard, the airplane’s weight and balance and center of gravity position at the time of the accident could not be determined.

The nearest weather reporting station recorded wind from the south at 12 knots gusting to 20 knots. Although gusty wind conditions may have been present, the reason for the pilot’s loss of control of the airplane could not be determined based on the available information.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.