No fatalities

31 Jul 2009: RANS EMPLOYEE FLYING CLUB RANS S-6S — Donald J. Garrard — MONTEZUMA, IN

MONTEZUMA, IN, United States

On 31 Jul 2009, a RANS EMPLOYEE FLYING CLUB RANS S-6S operated by Donald J. Garrard was involved in an aviation accident near MONTEZUMA, IN. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot failed to maintain control of the aircraft after takeoff, leading to a collision with a powerline and the ground. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 2 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A single-engine aircraft struck a powerline and terrain during a local flight in Indiana.

What happened

On July 31, 2009, a RANS S-6S, registration N91226, departed from a private airstrip for a local flight near Montezuma, Indiana. During the flight, the pilot encountered a gust of wind from the west. The pilot reported that the wind sock was down at the time of takeoff, and they did not anticipate the change in wind direction.

Following the wind gust, the pilot was unable to maintain control of the aircraft. The left wing of the airplane struck a powerline, and the aircraft subsequently impacted the terrain. The accident resulted in 2 minor injuries and 0 fatalities. A fire occurred on the ground following the impact.

Probable cause

The pilot failed to maintain control of the aircraft after takeoff, leading to a collision with a powerline and the ground.

Contributing factors

Causes

Climb rate — Not attained/maintainedPilot

Other contributing factors

Response/compensationContributed to outcome