What happened
On Saturday, September 20, 2025, at approximately 10:25 local time, a Rans S6 ES Coyote II microlight with the identification number 71HQ departed from the Creusot - Le Gros Chaillot microlight strip in France. The aircraft was operated by a private pilot who was also the president of the local microlight club. During the take-off roll from runway 29, the aircraft adopted a steep nose-up attitude. Witnesses reported that the microlight appeared to be offset to the right side of the runway with low speed and high pitch. At an altitude of approximately 50 meters, the aircraft suddenly banked to the right before colliding with vegetation and then the ground. The impact resulted in the death of the pilot and the destruction of the aircraft.
The investigation
The Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses (BEA) examined the wreckage, which was located approximately 200 meters north of the threshold of runway 11. The damage pattern indicated a steep nose-down impact attitude. Flight controls were continuous, and flaps were found in the first position (11 degrees). Fuel was present in both tanks, and the fuel system was intact. Although the throttle lever was found at idle and the power cut-off button activated, investigators noted these positions could have been altered by the impact. No signs of prior mechanical damage or engine malfunction were found.
Meteorological data indicated calm surface winds (2 knots) but stronger winds (around 20 knots) at higher altitudes. A club member flying shortly after the accident reported turbulent conditions from the south. The aircraft had not flown for approximately two years prior to this incident, though maintenance records showed it was airworthy and within weight limits. The pilot, aged 63, held a microlight license with fixed-wing ratings obtained in 1993 but had not flown a fixed-wing aircraft since 1994. He resumed fixed-wing training in January 2025, accumulating 12 hours as pilot-in-command and 5.5 hours with an instructor on a different model (Super Guépard). The Rans S6 is equipped with a two-stroke Rotax 582 engine producing 46 hp, which has different performance characteristics compared to the four-stroke engines typically found in other microlights.
Findings
The BEA concluded that the pilot likely maintained an excessive nose-up pitch attitude after rotation. This caused the aircraft to operate on the backside of the power curve, leading to a progressive loss of airspeed, a stall, and ultimately a collision with the ground. Two main factors contributed to this scenario: first, the pilot's lack of specific experience with the Rans S6 and its Rotax 582 engine, which does not tolerate steep nose-up attitudes during take-off as well as other models; second, the absence of a stall warning system on the aircraft, which failed to alert the pilot to the dangerously low airspeed.