- Date
- March 14, 2025, 15:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- Chester, CT · 800 ft off runway end
- NTSB coordinates
- 41.0000, -72.0000 (estimated), outside the stated state
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N372WSWild Sky Goat
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO, Rotech Flight Safety Inc.
- FAA report
- 20250314002589A
- Case key
- 199870
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Preliminary report
What NTSB knew early in the investigation. It may change in the final report.
On March 14, 2025, about 1515 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Wild Sky Goat light-sport aircraft, N372WS, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Chester, Connecticut. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries. The flight was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. A witness at the airport reported that weather conditions were “very gusty” at the time of the accident. The witness observed the pilot attempt a landing before initiating a go-around. As the aircraft climbed above the treetops, it collided with a tree and descended below the tree line. Federal Aviation Administration inspectors responded to the scene and examined the wreckage. The aircraft came to rest on its side at the base of a tree. Substantial damage was noted to the fuselage and sail wing. The wreckage was recovered and retained for further examination.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N372WS
- Reported as
- Wild Sky Goat
- Category
- Weight-shift
- Serial number
- 1731
- Built
- 2024
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- SNC · Chester, runway 17/35, 2,722 × 50 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- KSNC, 32 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KSNC 142015Z AUTO VRB06G12KT 10SM CLR 13/M01 A3012 RMK AO2
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.