# NTSB ERA24LA185: Bailey-Moyes Dragonfly, Groveland, FL, April 19, 2024 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: April 19, 2024, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC) - Place: Groveland, FL - Coordinates: 28, -81 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.0000&lon=-81.0000&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Initial climb: Aircraft structural failure](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/337) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed, report April 29, 2026 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 194119 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA24LA185 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/194119/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=194119 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA24LA185 ## Probable cause The pilot’s improper installation and inspection of the right lower wing strut attachment bolt, which resulted in the inflight failure of the right wing. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Wing structure: main frame (on wing)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01035710): Aircraft › Aircraft structures · Not installed/available (probable cause); cases with it: [All aircraft, 8 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01035710/cases.md) - [Inspection: preflight inspection](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061510): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot; cases with it: [All aircraft, 551 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061510/cases.md) - [Misc hardware: fasteners](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071430): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Inadequate inspection; cases with it: [All aircraft, 58 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071430/cases.md) - [Wing structure: main frame (on wing)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01035710): Aircraft › Aircraft structures · Incorrect service/maintenance (probable cause); cases with it: [All aircraft, 8 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01035710/cases.md) - [Maintenance: installation](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02062035): Personnel issues › Task performance · Owner/builder (probable cause); cases with it: [All aircraft, 371 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02062035/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Prior to flight: Aircraft maintenance event](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/040); cases with it: [All aircraft, 484 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/040/sequence.md) - [Initial climb: Aircraft structural failure](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/337) (defining event); cases with it: [All aircraft, 290 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/337/sequence.md) - [Uncontrolled descent: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis According to witnesses, the airplane departed and climbed to an altitude about 200 to 300 ft above ground level and then turned before the right wing “folded upward” and the airplane descended in a spiral to the ground. Postaccident examination revealed that the right lower wing strut attachment was not properly assembled; the bolt intended to connect the wing strut block to the fuselage bulkhead was threaded through the fuselage structure and tightened, but had not passed through the hole in the strut block, resulting in no load-bearing connection between the wing strut and the fuselage. The absence of deformation or damage to the bolt and wing strut block at the attachment point was consistent with the improper installation of the bolt. Without the structural support of the right lower wing strut, the wing was unable to sustain the aerodynamic loads encountered during the initial climb, resulting in an in-flight structural failure of the right wing. The accident flight was the airplane’s first flight since it was assembled by the pilot. The airplane was unregistered and had not been issued an airworthiness certificate or operating limitations, nor had it been inspected by a designated airworthiness representative or an FAA inspector before the flight. ## Factual narrative On April 19, 2024, about 1330 eastern daylight time, an unregistered experimental, amateur-built Bailey-Moyes Dragonfly airplane was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Sheets Airport (FA42), Groveland, Florida. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to witnesses, the airplane departed to the south, climbed to about 200 to 300 ft above ground level, and then turned east. Shortly thereafter, the right wing “folded upward,” and the airplane entered a spiral descent before impacting terrain about 500 ft east of the departure end of the north-south landing area. An FAA inspector examined the wreckage and reported that the right lower wing strut block bolt had been threaded through the fuselage bulkhead and tightened, but did not pass through the hole in the wing strut block, resulting in no connection between the wing strut and the fuselage. The bolt and the wing strut block exhibited no damage (see Figure 1)._ Figure 1. Fuselage connection point with bolt installation as found (Source: FAA) The accident flight was the airplane’s first flight since it was assembled by the pilot. Inspection of the hangar where the airplane was assembled revealed that no assembly checklist or assembly manual was present in the work area. The airplane did not have a data plate installed and had not been inspected by a Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR) or an FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) inspector. No airworthiness certificate or operating limitations had been issued for the airplane. ## Aircraft - Registration: UNREG (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: Bailey-Moyes Dragonfly (NO SERIES) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: 0 - Year built: 2024 - Engines: Rotax 582 65 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental light sport (Special) - Destination: Same as departure - Airport: FA42, Sheets, runway 18/36, 2,000 × 115 ft, asphalt - Equipment: Unknown ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 71; injuries: fatal; private, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; seat: front; restraint: 4-point; toxicology performed; flight hours: 1,432 total, 1,432 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 80° at 8 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 68 °F - Altimeter: 30.04 inHg - Observed at: MLB, 20 nm away - METAR: KMLB 191753Z 08008KT 10SM CLR 29/20 A3004 RMK AO2 SLP171 T02940200 10300 20206 58017= ## Docket (8 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 22, 2026, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=194119. 9.9 MB in all. - Mor airport manager statement (item 1, PDF, 1 page, 64 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19875759&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=MOR%20Airport%20Manager%20LA185-Rel.pdf - NTSB mor pilot's background (item 2, PDF, 1 page, 68 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20089415&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=MOR%20pilot%20notes%20LA185-Rel.pdf - Mor FAA statement (item 3, PDF, 2 pages, 69 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19938838&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=MOR%20FAA%20Statement-Rel.pdf - Wreckage examination summary (item 4, PDF, 5 pages, 128 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19880042&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Examination%20Summary%20LA185-Rel.pdf - Maintenance manual excerpts (item 5, PDF, 5 pages, 7.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19876039&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=MX%20records%20excerpts%20LA185-Rel.pdf - Mor medical examiner information (item 6, PDF, 1 page, 64 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19945682&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=MOR%20Medical%20Information%20LA185-Rel.pdf - Toxicological report (item 7, PDF, 1 page, 154 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19876155&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Tox%20LA185_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Investigative photos (item 8, PDF, 9 pages, 1.7 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19883651&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Investigative%20Photos%20LA185-Rel.pdf 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.