Rans S6ES accident near Bayou la Batre, Alabama, April 22, 1996
On April 22, 1996, a Rans S6ES, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N5144X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bayou la Batre, Alabama (Roy Ray airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions. The gusty/crosswind condition was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 22, 1996 · cases in 1996
- Place
- Bayou la Batre, Alabama · Roy Ray · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rans S6ES, amateur-built · all S6ESs on the register
- Registration
- N5144X · registry record · serial 1092365
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the airplane encountered gusty wind and a downdraft on final approach to runway 18. Subsequently, the airplane struck trees short of the runway threshold.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 321 hours in all; 142 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 282 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 155 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 15, 1995; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 935 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5R7 at 11:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,000 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 9 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N5144X the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5144X on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Rans S-6 22 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Rans 91 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Rotax 582 62 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Roy E Ray Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Alabama 1,211 since 1982 · 173 in the last ten years
- Alabama 4,351 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N5144X 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MIA96LA125.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.