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20150908015069A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Clarke Reginald W DRAGONFLY MK II · Freeport, IL · September 8, 2015

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
September 8, 2015 · 08:45 local
Place
Freeport, IL
Airport
Freeport / Albertus
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N24TL
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN15LA402
Reported as
Clarke Reginald W Dragonfly MK II
Reported engine
SUBARU EJ-25
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
395 total59 in this make and model1 in the last 90 days
N24TLRegistration cancelled Mar 12, 2018 · Clarke Reginald W DRAGONFLY MK IIS/N C171032 · Built 1991Airframe modelClarke Reginald W DRAGONFLY MK IIEngine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

On the morning of September 08, 2015 at 0845 an experimental amateur built, dragonfly ii departed Freeport/ Albertus airport from runway 24 with a destination of poplar grove airport, poplar grove, Illinois. The pilot stated at about 500 feet down the runway on takeoff roll, he noticed the engine was running rough, so he adjusted the mixture knob and noticed a puff of black smoke come from the engine exhaust pipe. He stated the engine seemed to run normal with the mixture adjustment. He stated once airborne he was only able to climb to approximately 200 feet AGL. Realizing he would not clear the trees off the end of the runway he elected to turn left and land the aircraft in a pasture. It was stated that a witness saw the aircraft porpoising through the air prior to hitting the ground. Upon impacting the ground the aircraft hit a barbed wire fence and post. Both main gear legs were torn from the aircraft along with the left canard and two of the three propeller blades. The fuselage was split apart at the instrument panel and the left side of the instrument panel was pushed forward about 6 to 8 inches. The pilots rudder pedals were pushed forward into the cabin side of the firewall. The pilot was able to open the canopy and exit the aircraft without assistance. There was no post crash fire. When the aircraft was being recovered, it was noted that fuel was leaking from the main fuel tank located under the pilot seat.

As the FAA filed it

ON THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 08, 2015 AT 0845 AN EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR BUILT, DRAGONFLY II DEPARTED FREEPORT/ ALBERTUS AIRPORT FROM RUNWAY 24 WITH A DESTINATION OF POPLAR GROVE AIRPORT, POPLAR GROVE, ILLINOIS. THE PILOT STATED AT ABOUT 500 FEET DOWN THE RUNWAY ON TAKEOFF ROLL, HE NOTICED THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING ROUGH, SO HE ADJUSTED THE MIXTURE KNOB AND NOTICED A PUFF OF BLACK SMOKE COME FROM THE ENGINE EXHAUST PIPE. HE STATED THE ENGINE SEEMED TO RUN NORMAL WITH THE MIXTURE ADJUSTMENT. HE STATED ONCE AIRBORNE HE WAS ONLY ABLE TO CLIMB TO APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET AGL. REALIZING HE WOULD NOT CLEAR THE TREES OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY HE ELECTED TO TURN LEFT AND LAND THE AIRCRAFT IN A PASTURE. IT WAS STATED THAT A WITNESS SAW THE AIRCRAFT PORPOISING THROUGH THE AIR PRIOR TO HITTING THE GROUND. UPON IMPACTING THE GROUND THE AIRCRAFT HIT A BARBED WIRE FENCE AND POST. BOTH MAIN GEAR LEGS WERE TORN FROM THE AIRCRAFT ALONG WITH THE LEFT CANARD AND TWO OF THE THREE PROPELLER BLADES. THE FUSELAGE WAS SPLIT APART AT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE LEFT SIDE OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS PUSHED FORWARD ABOUT 6 TO 8 INCHES. THE PILOTS RUDDER PEDALS WERE PUSHED FORWARD INTO THE CABIN SIDE OF THE FIREWALL. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO OPEN THE CANOPY AND EXIT THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT ASSISTANCE. THERE WAS NO POST CRASH FIRE. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING RECOVERED, IT WAS NOTED THAT FUEL WAS LEAKING FROM THE MAIN FUEL TANK LOCATED UNDER THE PILOT SEAT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CEN15LA402Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportFreeport, ILThe airplane’s degraded climb performance due to its being over its maximum gross weight and a hole in the engine exhaust.Sep 8, 2015 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N24TL · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20140627009109ILanding: Touchdown · Urbana, ILWhile landing runway 9 aircraft drifted toward left side in flair and struck 2 runway lights with left wingtip.Jun 27, 2014 · Minor damage