- Location: Crofton, Nebraska
- Accident Number: CEN24FA326
- Date & Time: August 26, 2024, 08:41 Local
- Registration: N519JR
- Aircraft: RANS S19
- Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
- Defining Event: VFR encounter with IMC
- Injuries: 1 Fatal
- Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/194999/pdf
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=194999
On August 26, 2024, about 0841, central daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Rans S19 airplane, N519JR, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Crofton,
Nebraska. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of
Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The airplane departed in daylight, visual weather conditions and proceeded along a
meandering flight path before heading towards Yankton, South Dakota, for an unknown
destination. About an hour after departure, while over Yankton, the pilot made a telephone call
to a friend to inquire about the weather and airport options, stating that he was unable to land
due to the weather as he did not hold an instrument rating. The pilot was not instrument rated,
the airplane was equipped for only visual flight rules (VFR) operations, and the weather
conditions at the nearby airport included a cloud ceiling at 200 ft above ground level (agl) with
1/4-mile visibility in fog and light rain. The friend suggested two airports south of the pilot’s
position with automated weather stations reporting VFR weather conditions. The friend also
stated that the pilot seemed calm and did not mention if he was in instrument meteorological
conditions (IMC).
A NTSB weather study determined that a cold front and inversion in the area, along with lowand mid-level troughs, made for an environment conducive to sustained low-level cloud cover,
moisture, and precipitation. A review of recovered flight track data from an onboard GPS unit
revealed that about the time that the pilot called his friend, the airplane was at an altitude of
3,239 ft mean sea level (msl) tracking roughly southwest. The flight track remained consistent
during the next 8 minutes for about 14 nm, suggesting that the pilot was in VFR conditions
above the cloud tops.
The airplane then began a right turn to the west with a slow climb to a maximum altitude of
about 4,000 ft msl. About 1 minute later, the airplane began an S-turn, followed by a
descending left turn for less than a minute before the data was lost. The accident site was
located about 3/4 nm northeast of the last data point. The weather study determined that the
accident flight was likely in IMC from 3,500 ft msl down to 200 ft agl, with visibility restricted to 1/4 mile or less below the cloud cover. The study also noted that a band of rain showers was
moving northeast across the accident site at the accident time, which likely further reduced
visibility below the cloud layer and had associated convective turbulence.
A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunction or
failure that would have precluded normal operation. However, flight control continuity could
not be established due to impact damage.
It is unknown what, if any, weather information the pilot checked before or during the flight, or
whether the nearby airport (at the time that the pilot called his friend) was the intended
destination. However, the reported weather at that airport from more than 2 hours before the
accident flight departed through the time of the accident consistently included low instrument
flight rules (LIFR) conditions. (LIFR is defined as a ceiling below 500 ft agl and/or visibility less
than 1 mile.)
The weather forecast information applicable for the accident time did not include any
graphical or text AIRMETs for instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions, and no terminal
aerodrome forecasts were available within 30 miles of the accident site. The National Weather
Service (NWS) graphical forecast analysis products issued more than 3 hours before the
accident flight departed forecast LIFR surface visibility for the area of the accident applicable
about 1 hour 40 minutes before the accident and VFR surface visibility with a cloud ceiling at
2,300 ft msl (about 600 ft agl) for the area of the accident applicable about 1 hour 20 minutes
after the accident. The weather conditions encountered by the accident pilot were worse than
NWS forecasts valid for the accident time. Several pilot reports (PIREPs) reported cloud tops
between 2,600 ft MSL and 3,500 ft MSL in the area.
Loss of external visual references during VFR flight presents a high risk of spatial
disorientation and loss of control. Several risk factors for spatial disorientation were present in
this accident: the lack of IFR flight instruments, the non-instrument rated pilot, and the weather
conditions. Based on these factors, as well as the airplane’s flight track and the orientation and
fragmentation of the wreckage consistent with a high-energy impact, the pilot likely
experienced spatial disorientation after entering an area of rain, convective turbulence, and
IMC which may have been higher than the surrounding cloud tops, and he subsequently lost
control of the airplane.
- Probable Cause: The non-instrument-rated pilot's decision to continue visual flight into an area of low cloud cover and precipitation which resulted in an inadvertent encounter with instrument meteorological conditions and a loss of control due to spatial disorientation.
