Amateur-built Starlite accident near Shelbyville, Illinois, April 21, 2010
On April 21, 2010 at about 5:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Starlite, registered N4326D, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Shelbyville, Illinois (Shelby County Airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The corrosion of the left landing gear rotor and brake, which resulted in the loss of directional control during the landing rollout, and the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 2010 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Shelbyville, Illinois · Shelby County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Starlite
- Registration
- N4326D · no longer on the register · serial 150
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that when the experimental, amateur-built airplane touched down for landing, the left main tire “locked up” and the airplane veered to the left. The pilot applied full right rudder and aileron, but the airplane continued to veer off the left side of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage when it entered a plowed field, which caused the main landing gear to collapse and the left main tire to go through the left wing. Postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed that left main landing gear rotor and brake exhibited rust with “pitting” and “scarring.” The left tire had a bald spot which was consistent with it being “locked up” and skidding. The aircraft logbook indicated that the airplane’s last conditional inspection was conducted on March 24, 2009, which was about 13 months prior to the accident. The accident flight was the first flight since the airplane had been stored for the winter in August 2009. The pilot reported that he “could have removed the wheels and checked them thoroughly” since the airplane had been in a "barn/hangar" over the winter.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Malfunction
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Maintenance/inspections › Scheduled maint checks › Not inspected
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,714 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 3,200 as pilot in command; 2,100 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 416 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 24, 2009
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 447 UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Marion IA at 10:45 am
- Destination: 2H0 Shelbyville IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 4,099 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 7 knots
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.