Rans S20 accident near Wadsworth, Ohio, September 18, 2021
On September 18, 2021 at about 10:45 pm local time, a 2021 Rans S20, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N6915G, was destroyed in an accident near Wadsworth, Ohio (Wadsworth Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s decision to depart shortly after a landing helicopter, which resulted in an encounter with the helicopter’s wake turbulence and a loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impairment by his recent use of ethanol.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made September 29, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 2021 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Wadsworth, Ohio · Wadsworth Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rans S20, built 2021, amateur-built
- Registration
- N6915G · registry record · serial 05170072
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the airplane was holding short of the runway for takeoff when he asked the pilot of an inbound helicopter to side-step to the taxiway so that the airplane could depart. The helicopter pilot reported that a side-step would have resulted in the helicopter flying directly over the airplane and that he side-stepped the helicopter toward the taxiway after clearing the airplane. An airport surveillance camera captured the airplane start the takeoff roll after the helicopter passed. Shortly after takeoff, the airplane entered a steep roll and impacted the runway. A postimpact fire ensued. Toxicology testing of the pilot was positive for ethanol in blood, vitreous fluid, urine, gastric contents, and liver tissue. The ethanol in blood concentration (0.108 gm/dL) was associated with impairment, and alcohol consumption was fairly recent to the accident based on the concentration levels in the pilot’s body. The pilot completed building the airplane about 5 months before the accident. The engine had a history of high oil and cylinder head temperatures, which may have been a factor in the pilot’s decision to depart so soon after the helicopter to reduce idling time on the ground. Based on the available information, it is likely that the airplane encountered wake turbulence from the landing helicopter during takeoff, which resulted in the pilot’s loss of control. It is likely that the pilot’s impairment from ethanol contributed to the accident.
The NTSB's narratives can run to many pages; this is the opening. Read the full report at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database and is rewritten in plain English only where the NTSB used codes; the probable cause and narrative are the NTSB's own words. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN21FA426.