Probable cause
The pilot’s loss of airplane control, likely due to a cardiac event.
NTSB analysis
According to data from a GPS receiver on board the airplane, the airplane made several turns just before it descended and impacted terrain. Examination of the wreckage and an engine run found no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane’s ballistic recovery system was found deployed; however, damage and deployment signatures were consistent with activation due to ground impact. An autopsy conducted on the pilot found a complete obstruction of the left main coronary artery. While it was not possible to determine if the pilot was experiencing a heart attack in flight, it is possible that the pilot experienced acute arrhythmia or acute myocardial ischemia (decrease in blood flow), which would have led to the pilot’s loss of airplane control.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN11FA467 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jul 9, 2011
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Scott, Arkansas
- Highest injury
- Fatal
- Fatal injuries
- 1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Rans S-12
- N-number
- N3266R
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.