Waco Classic Aircraft YMF-F5C accident near Charleston, Illinois, June 18, 2011
On June 18, 2011 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Waco Classic Aircraft YMF-F5C, registered N113KJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Charleston, Illinois. It was a personal 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 pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain to take off after making a precautionary landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 2011 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Charleston, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Waco Classic Aircraft YMF-F5C · all YMF-F5Cs on the register
- Registration
- N113KJ · no longer on the register · serial F5C113
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot performed a precautionary landing to a field due to a rough running engine. After the landing, he decided that the airplane was airworthy, and attempted to take off from a nearby gravel road. During the takeoff roll, the airplane's left wing dragged in the high grass that bordered both sides of the road which caused the airplane to cartwheel approximately 180 degrees. The landing gear span on the airplane was approximately 8 feet, the road was approximately 15 feet wide, and the wingspan was about 25 feet.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Ground collision during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › (general) › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Sloped/uneven › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,800 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 4,630 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 12, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 5 hours since
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R-755B2M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Central Illinois Air CORP
The flight
- Departed from: MTO Mattoon IL at 8:30 pm
- Destination: MTO Mattoon IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from MTO, 10 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N113KJ the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.