- Date
- September 18, 1994, 15:13 local (19:13 UTC)
- Place
- Clearwater, FL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4123NRans S-12 Airaile
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 26, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940918028119A
- Case key
- 37604
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The private pilot attempted his second flight of the homebuilt airplane. After takeoff witnesses stated they heard the engine fail. The airplane descended and crashed and came to rest in a tree. A fire erupted and consumed the airplane. Examination of the wreckage after recovery was conducted and no cause for the engine failure could be determined due to the almost total destruction of the airplane.
Factual narrative
On September 18, 1994, about 1513 eastern daylight time, N4123N, a Rans S-12 Airaile, experimental, homebuilt airplane, crashed in Clearwater, Florida, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 local, personal flight. The airplane was registered to the pilot, Mr. Robert Harding. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was destroyed and the pilot received fatal injuries. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
Witnesses stated they observed the airplane take off, turn crosswind, slow down and enter a spin. The witnesses reported that they thought the engine quit. The airplane came to rest in a tree, and a fire erupted in the tree almost immediately. The pilot fell from the tree on fire, and residents of the area rushed to him and extinguished the fire on him. The fire department arrived and put out the tree fire. The pilot was evacuated to a local hospital and expired 6 days later.
FAA inspectors attempted to examine the airplane and engine after it was removed from the tree, but were not able to determine if there was any preexisting failures of the engine or airframe due to almost total destruction of both.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4123N
- Reported as
- Rans S-12 Airaile (S-12 AIRAI)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 0992290
- Engine
- Rotax RT-24, 30 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Harding, Robert
- Departed
- CLW · Largo, FL
- Destination
- CLW
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 61 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PIE, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.