- Date
- February 1, 2025, 13:50 local (19:50 UTC)
- Place
- Sparta, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N88LERutan Long-EZ
- Defining event
- Taxi: Fire/smoke (non-impact)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration - Springfield FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250201000449A
- Case key
- 199639
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
An onboard fire for unknown reasons.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
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.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he taxied to the runway and performed an engine runup. During the runup, the pilot noticed that one of the magnetos was not operating properly, so he started to taxi back to his hangar. While taxing back to the hangar, he smelled burning wire insulation, and shortly after the engine stopped. He attempted to restart the engine three times. On the third restart attempt, he noticed that flames were coming out from the right wing near the fuel cap. He immediately exited the airplane and called the fire department. The airplane was destroyed by the fire. Due to the damage caused by the fire, an examination of the airplane components to determine the source of the fire was not possible.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N88LE
- Reported as
- Rutan Long-EZ
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1039WEF
- Built
- 1986
- Airframe hours
- 1,018
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235L2C, 118 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · November 1, 2024
- Airport
- SAR · Sparta Community Airport - Hunter Field
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display
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.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 74
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 26, 2023
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 385 total · 259 in this make and model · 385 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.22 inHg
- Observed at
- KSAR
- METAR
- KSAR 011955Z AUTO 14009KT 4SM HZ SCT001 08/02 A3022 RMK AO2 T00820022
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 20, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.