Rans Employee Flying Club RANS S-6ES COYOTE II accident near Williston, South Carolina, October 24, 2025
On October 24, 2025 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 2005 Rans Employee Flying Club RANS S-6ES COYOTE II, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N43822, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Williston, South Carolina (Buckeye Fld airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the initial climb in gusting crosswind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 24, 2025 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Williston, South Carolina · Buckeye Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rans Employee Flying Club RANS S-6ES COYOTE II, built 2005, amateur-built
- Registration
- N43822 · registry record · serial 12041628
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was departing from a 2,395-ft-long by 50-ft-wide turf runway. The pilot reported that after the airplane lifted off the ground, a wind gust lifted the right wing and the airplane turned to the left. The airplane subsequently impacted trees off the left of the runway and came to rest suspended in the trees. The right wing and empennage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: private, sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 323 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 285 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 6, 2024
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 877 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 13, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912UL-EPL (piston); 877 hours total
The flight
- Destination: 6J6 Trenton SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,395 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 3019.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:00 pm from BNL, 9 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KBNL 241855Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 23/02 A3019
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Aircraft suspended in trees at scene
Photograph 2 – Closeup showing damage to right wingThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on December 11, 2025. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record - Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.