NTSB Factual Report

On August 20, 2018, about 1640 Pacific daylight time, a Rans S14 airplane, N140JL, impacted terrain about 4 miles south-east of Brownsville, Oregon. The light sport pilot received serious injuries. The airplane received substantial damage to the left wing, right horizontal stabilizer and elevator. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulation Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed along the route of flight about the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The local flight originated from Daniels Field Airport, Harrisburg, Oregon, about 1600.

The pilot stated he had planned to overfly and photograph the location of a recent country concert venue. As he arrived over the venue, he descended to about 300 ft above ground level and decelerated to about 60 knots prior to initiating a steep left turn. The pilot said that during the turn, he felt the airplane stall and enter a spin. He attempted to stop the spin and recover from a stall when the airplane impacted the ground and struck a fence.

The airplane was relocated to a secure location for further examination.