# Accident 20260214003849A: Tailwind W-8, Poplar Grove, IL, February 14, 2026

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 14, 2026, 15:58 local time
- Place: Poplar Grove, IL
- Airport: Poplar Grove
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.3099° N, 88.8388° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.3099&lon=-88.8388&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9424H, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N9424H) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Tailwind W-8 (registry code 97902HB, https://openairdocs.org/model/tailwind-w-8) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental C90 series (registry code 17009, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-c90-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: TAILWIND W-8
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR C90 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 4,400 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA26FA114](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA26FA114) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260214003849A

## Narrative

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

ON FEBRUARY 14, 2026, ABOUT 1600 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, AN EXPERIMENTAL, AMATEUR-BUILT TAILWIND W-8 AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT NEAR POPLAR

GROVE AIRPORT (C77). THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED AS A TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT.

THE PILOT ATTENDED A LOCAL FLY-IN EVENT AT COTTONWOOD AIRPORT (1C8),ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, AND WAS RETURNING TO POPLAR GROVE AIRPORT (C77) AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.

THE PILOT DEPARTED 1C8 ABOUT 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT WAS NOT IN COMMUNICATION WITH AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL AND DID NOT ADS-B.

THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND BETWEEN TWO HOMES IN A RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY ABOUT .7 NM

SOUTH OF C77. ALL MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE AIRPLANE WERE

ACCOUNTED FOR AT THE ACCIDENT SITE.

## 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 ERA26FA114](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA26FA114), Feb 14, 2026: Tailwind W-8 (N9424H), Poplar Grove, IL, destroyed, 1 fatal, investigation ongoing

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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