# Accident 20170712009059A: Gerald Donovan RANS S-16, Los Lunas, NM, July 12, 2017

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 12, 2017, 06:20 local time
- Place: Los Lunas, NM
- Airport: Mid Valley
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Departure Roll
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.7611° N, 106.7450° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.7611&lon=-106.7450&mi=10
- Aircraft: N116GD, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N116GD-2020-09-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Gerald Donovan RANS S-16 (registry code 05636EX, https://openairdocs.org/model/gerald-donovan-rans-s-16) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-240-B (registry code 17177, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-240-b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: GERALD DONOVAN RANS S-16
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,400 total, 2 in this make and model, 14 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB GAA17CA407](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA17CA407) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170712009059A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON JULY 12, 2017, AT 0620 MST, A RANS S-16 SHEKARI, N116GD, REGISTERED TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND AND TALL VEGITATION WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TAKEOFF AT E98 LOS LUNAS, NM. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED, AND THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED.  THE FLIGHT WAS ORIGINATING AT E98 LOS LUNAS ENROUTE FOR LOCAL TRAINING AND RETURNING TO E98.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB GAA17CA407](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA17CA407), Jul 12, 2017: Gerald Donovan Rans S-16 (N116GD), Los Lunas, NM, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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