# Accident 20180122001129A: Vans Aircraft Inc RV-12, Bonita Springs, FL, January 22, 2018

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 22, 2018, 12:24 local time
- Place: Bonita Springs, FL
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 26.3386° N, 81.6636° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.3386&lon=-81.6636&mi=10
- Aircraft: N262WS, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N262WS-2020-05-29) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Vans RV-12 (registry code 0690009, https://openairdocs.org/model/vans-rv-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotax 912ULS series (registry code 55572, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-912uls-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: VANS AIRCRAFT INC RV-12
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Sport pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA18FA064](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA18FA064) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180122001129A

## Narrative

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

ON JANUARY 22, 2018, ABOUT 1214 EST, A VAN'S AIRCRAFT INC. RV-12, N262WS, THE AIRCRAFT IS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. IT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN NEAR BONITA SPRINGS, FLORIDA. THE SPORT PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATED BY THE PILOT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91. DAY VMC PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT PAGE FIELD (FMY), FORT MYERS, FLORIDA ABOUT 1200 AND WAS DESTINED FOR EVERGLADES AIRPARK (X01), EVERGLADES CITY, FLORIDA. ACCORDING TO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) VOICE COMMUNICATION AND RADAR DATA OBTAINED THE FLIGHT WAS ENROUTE FROM FMY TO X01. THE PILOT WAS RECEIVING FLIGHT FOLLOWING SERVICES FROM ATC. WHILE ON A SOUTHEASTERLY HEADING AND AT 2,500 FT. MEAN SEA LEVEL, THE PILOT WAS ADVISED OF TRAFFIC IN HIS VICINITY. THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED, AND SHORTLY AFTER THIS TRANSMISSION HE STATED, "MAYDAY, MAYDAY." NO ADDITIONAL CALLS WERE RECEIVED FROM THE PILOT AND RADAR AND RADIO CONTACT WAS LOST. THE AIRPLANE CRASHED IN A FORESTED AREA, ABOUT 18 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTHEAST OF FMY. THERE WAS NO FIRE. THE WRECKAGE PATH WAS ORIENTED SOUTH-SOUTHWEST AND WAS ABOUT 750 FT. IN LENGTH. THE LEFT WING AND INBOARD  OF THE FLAPERON WERE LOCATED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DEBRIS FIELD 750 FT. FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. ALL COMPONENTS OF THE AIRCRAFT ARE ACCOUNTED FOR AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS CONFIRMED FROM ALL FLIGHT CONTROL SURFACES TO THE COCKPIT CONTROLS.

## 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 ERA18FA064](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA18FA064), Jan 22, 2018: Vans RV-12 (N262WS), Bonita Springs, FL, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's unsafe maneuvering and exceedance of the airplane's operating limitations, which resulted in an in-flight failure of the left wing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's underlying…

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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