# Accident 20150908015069A: Clarke Reginald W DRAGONFLY MK II, Freeport, IL, September 8, 2015

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 8, 2015, 08:45 local time
- Place: Freeport, IL
- Airport: Freeport / Albertus
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.2461° N, 89.5819° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.2461&lon=-89.5819&mi=10
- Aircraft: N24TL, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N24TL-2018-03-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Clarke Reginald W DRAGONFLY MK II (registry code 056145S, https://openairdocs.org/model/clarke-reginald-w-dragonfly-mk-ii) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CLARKE REGINALD W DRAGONFLY MK II
- Reported engine: SUBARU EJ 25
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 395 total, 59 in this make and model, 1 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN15LA402](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN15LA402) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150908015069A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

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.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CEN15LA402](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN15LA402), Sep 8, 2015: Viking Dragonfly (N24TL), Freeport, IL, substantial damage. Probable cause: The airplane’s degraded climb performance due to its being over its maximum gross weight and a hole in the engine exhaust.

## Other reports on N24TL (1)

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

- [Incident 20140627009109I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140627009109I), Jun 27, 2014: Clarke Reginald W DRAGONFLY MK II (N24TL), Urbana, IL, Minor damage. While landing runway 9 aircraft drifted toward left side in flair and struck 2 runway lights with left wingtip.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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