Rainbow Aircraft (Pty) CHEETAH XLS N146RC

Summary

On 27 May 2026 at about 18:20 local time, a Rainbow Aircraft (Pty) CHEETAH XLS registered N146RC was involved in an accident near Knightdale, North Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

27 May 2026 at 18:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Knightdale, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Raleigh East (W17)

Coordinates

35.7977, -78.4370

Aircraft

Rainbow Aircraft (Pty) CHEETAH XLS

Registration

N146RC

Category

Airplane

Year built

2009

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Raleigh → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA26LA219

2 people were seriously injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On May 27, 2026, about 1420 eastern daylight time, a special light sport Rainbow Cheetah XLS airplane, N146RC, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Knightdale, North Carolina. The flight instructor and student pilot were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The flight instructor reported that he was the pilot in command of the accident flight. He was conducting an introductory flight for a prospective student pilot and planned to demonstrate several maneuvers. The flight departed Cox Airport (NC81), Apex, North Carolina, with 15 gallons of fuel, destined for Raleigh East Airport (W17), Knightdale, North Carolina, for a low approach followed by touch-and-go landings. Upon arrival at W17 the flight instructor entered the airport traffic pattern, turned from the base leg to final approach, and aligned with the runway. He flew the airplane about 3 ft above the runway’s surface and down its entire length before adding power to initiate a climb. As he added power, the engine began to “sputter”, so he reduced power and the engine stabilized and ran normal at a lower rpm setting. He added power again and the engine sputtered, so he reduced the power a second time. Realizing the airplane could not outclimb trees ahead, he turned right towards an open field. He attempted to add power several times; however, each time the engine would sputter. Unable to reach the field, he attempted to fly between a tree and a parked semi-trailer. The airplane struck the trailer and tree, fell about 30 ft and impacted the ground in a nose down attitude. The right wing separated from the fuselage, and the left wing’s leading edge was damaged. The engine was displaced upward due to impact with the ground. The wreckage was retained for further examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.