Amateur-built Rans S6 Coyote II accident near Louisville, Mississippi, May 21, 2005
On May 21, 2005 at about 7:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Rans S6 Coyote II, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Louisville, Mississippi (Louisville Winston County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Galling of the front piston and cylinder of the Rotax 503 2-stroke engine, consistent with the engine running hot and lean for undetermined reasons, resulting in damage to the airplane during the subsequent forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 2005 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Louisville, Mississippi · Louisville Winston County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Rans S6 Coyote II
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that during the initial climb, as the aircraft reached an altitude of about 150 to 200 feet, suddenly the engine ceased operating. He said he attempted to perform a 180-degree turn to get back to the runway, but the airplane had insufficient airspeed and altitude remaining, to complete the turn, and the aircraft "pancaked" into the ground. An FAA inspector who responded to the accident scene and conducted a postcrash examination of the aircraft and engine stated that he found that the front piston and cylinder exhibited galling, consistent with the engine having operated hot, and lean.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,130 hours in all; 10 in the last 30 days; 6,023 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 220 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 992 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LMS Louisville MS at 7:30 pm
- Destination: LMS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,519 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from KGTR, 31 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.