What happened
On August 26, 2024, at approximately 08:41 CDT, a RANS S-19, registration N519JR, was destroyed following an accident near Crofton, Nebraska. The pilot sustained 1 fatal injury.
Prior to the accident, at approximately 08:30, the pilot contacted a friend via telephone while over Yankton, South Dakota, to discuss weather and landing options. The pilot indicated an inability to land in Yankton due to weather conditions and a lack of an instrument rating. Following a suggestion to divert to Albion, Nebraska, where automated weather indicated VFR conditions, the pilot continued the flight. At 08:56, weather observations at Columbus Municipal Airport (OLU) also showed clear weather.
At the time of the accident, the Yankton Chan Gurney Municipal Airport (YKN), located 13 miles from the site, reported a broken ceiling of 200 feet AGL with visibility of 1/4 mile in fog and light rain. Local law enforcement discovered the aircraft in an agricultural field at approximately 09:30. First responders reported fog at the site with visibility of approximately 50 feet. Dash camera footage from a patrol vehicle later showed a cloud ceiling of approximately 260 feet AGL.
The investigation
Impact marks and debris at the scene were consistent with the aircraft striking the terrain in a nose-down, left-wing-low attitude. The debris field measured approximately 200 feet in length on a heading of 023 degrees, with additional cockpit debris located 500 feet beyond the main wreckage.
The main wreckage included the empennage, both wings, and the rear fuselage. The engine and forward fuselage were located in a vertical orientation within a shallow crater. Both wing fuel tanks had separated from the wing structure, with fractures showing evidence of liquid hydraulic deformation.
An inspection of a nearby wind turbine revealed no evidence of an aircraft strike or damage. A Garmin GPSMAP 496 handheld device was recovered approximately 500 feet from the main wreckage.