Amateur-built E-RACER accident near Big Rock, Illinois, July 31, 2011
On July 31, 2011 at about 12:48 pm local time, a amateur-built E-RACER, registered N345JM, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Big Rock, Illinois (Aurora Municipal Airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control after experiencing excessive engine cylinder head temperatures during the initial flight test of the experimental amateur-built airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 2011 · about 12:48 pm local time
- Place
- Big Rock, Illinois · Aurora Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built E-RACER
- Registration
- N345JM · registry record · serial 186
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident occurred during the first flight test of the recently completed experimental amateur-built airplane. The tower controller cleared the flight to orbit the airport at 2,500 feet mean sea level (msl) and to make left turns. As the airplane was completing its first orbit of the airport, the pilot told the tower controller that the airplane was experiencing excessive engine cylinder head temperatures and that he would like to land. According to radar track data, the airplane was at 2,700 feet msl and had a ground speed of about 145 knots at that time. The tower controller replied that the wind was calm and that the flight was cleared to land. The pilot acknowledged the landing clearance, and no additional communications were received from the pilot. Radar track data indicated that the airplane began a left descending turn as its ground speed decreased from about 170 to 105 knots, and its descent rate increased from 650 to 2,400 feet per minute. The last radar return was about 2 miles west-southwest of the airport about 400 feet above the ground. A witness observed the accident airplane traveling about 125 feet above the ground at a high speed while in a slight left turn with its landing gear retracted. The airplane leveled its wings momentarily before it entered a left-wing-low, wings-near-vertical descent and then collided with power lines and a cornfield. The postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. No evidence of an in-flight fire was found. The extent of damage to the engine compartment and associated baffling precluded a determination of why the engine developed excessive cylinder head temperatures during the accident flight. However, excessive engine cylinder head temperatures would not have resulted in a flight controllability issue and, therefore, the pilot should have been able to maintain control of the airplane throughout the flight. The pilot had accumulated about 365 hours of flight experience in a comparable airplane.
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
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 502 hours in all; 365 in this make and model
- Last flight review: November 18, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 0 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 8, 2011; 0 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming (Modified) O-540-A1D5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ARR Sugar Grove IL at 12:44 pm
- Destination: ARR Sugar Grove IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 6,501 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 12:52 pm from ARR, 2 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 N345JM 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.