Central Ohio Dragonfly Club DRAGONFLY-C accident near Darbyville, Ohio, November 4, 2012
On November 4, 2012 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 2006 Central Ohio Dragonfly Club DRAGONFLY-C, registered N667DF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Darbyville, Ohio (Wesmar Aerodrome airport). It was a glider-towing flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power due to a cold-seizure event that occurred at a low altitude, which precluded the pilot's recovery from an inadvertent aerodynamic stall/spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 4, 2012 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Darbyville, Ohio · Wesmar Aerodrome · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Central Ohio Dragonfly Club DRAGONFLY-C, built 2006
- Registration
- N667DF · registry record · serial C-88
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Glider-towing flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident occurred during an aero-tow of a hang glider. The pilot reported that during initial climb, about 80 feet above the runway, the airplane experienced a sudden and total loss of engine power while it was in a climbing left turn. He stated that the airplane immediately entered an aerodynamic stall/spin following the loss of engine power. The pilot released the towed hang glider, but he was unable recover from the aerodynamic stall condition before the airplane impacted terrain. A postaccident examination of the two-cylinder engine revealed excessive piston scoring within one of the cylinder assemblies and excessive wear on the piston wrist-pin. The observed anomalies were consistent with a cold-seizure event. A cold-seizure event is a thermo-imbalance condition between the piston and cylinder, which results in an insufficient clearance between the piston and the cylinder. The cylinder thermo-imbalance condition is typically the result of an insufficient engine warm-up period before takeoff power is applied. However, the conditions that led to the cold-seizure event may not have been limited to the accident flight. The total loss of engine power during initial climb, while towing a hang glider, likely contributed to the aerodynamic stall/spin encountered at a low altitude. Additionally, the low altitude at which the aerodynamic stall/spin was encountered was likely insufficient to have allowed a recovery before the airplane impacted terrain.
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
- 350341 during loss of engine power
- 350241 during loss of engine power
- 650470 during 650
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, none, none
- Flight time: 368 hours in all; 305 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 305 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 18, 2011
- Medical certificate: class 3
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 367 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, May 16, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 990 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 205 hours total
- Operator: Central Ohio Dragonfly Club, LLC
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Darbyville OH at 4:30 pm
- Destination: PVT Darbyville OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05, 2,300 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,100 ft; scattered at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 46°C, dew point 27°C
- Altimeter: 30.129999 inHg
- Observation at 5:35 pm from LCK, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N667DF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN13LA055.