- Date
- July 26, 1998, 11:45 local (15:45 UTC)
- Place
- Caro, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N14ULuckey Dragonfly II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 19, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980726046599A
- Case key
- 43108
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 improper inflight decision when he mistook the road for the runway of the nearby airport to land on. A factor in this accident was the total failure of the engine's crankshaft.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot of a home built airplane said his engine began running rough during cruise flight. The pilot said he reduced power and diverted to a nearby airport to make a precautionary landing. The pilot said he mistook a road for the airport runway. During the approach to the road the pilot said he had to add power to clear electrical power lines. He said the engine ran rougher when he applied the power. Shortly after applying the power, the propeller and front section of the crankshaft departed the engine. The airplane landed on a road and ran off the end into a corn field. The fracture surface of the crankshaft was a dull gray color with a rough surface texture. The edge of the fracture surface had shear lips.
Factual narrative
On July 26, 1998, at 1145 eastern daylight time, a Luckey-Dragonfly MK I, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged during a collision with rough terrain and mature corn after departing the edge of a road following a forced landing due to a total loss of power. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight had departed Bellaire, Michigan, exact time unknown.
The pilot reported the engine began running rough during cruise flight. He said he reduced the power setting and diverted to a nearby airport with the intent of making a precautionary landing. The pilot said he mistook a road for the runway. During the approach to the road the pilot said he had to add power to clear electrical power lines. He said the engine ran rougher and the crankshaft failed. The propeller, and section of the crankshaft it was attached to, departed the airplane and landed in a cornfield next to the road.
The on-scene investigation confirmed the pilot's statement. The Federal Aviation Administration Principal Maintenance Inspector reported the fracture surface of the crankshaft had a dull gray color and grainy surface appearance. He said the edges of the fracture had shear lips.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N14U
- Reported as
- Luckey Dragonfly II (DRAGONFLY)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 446
- Airframe hours
- 165
- Engine
- Volkswagen TYPE I, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Alan Luckey
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 23, 1998 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- ACB · Bellaire, MI
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
- 54
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 308 total · 165 in this make and model · 308 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MBS, 28 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.