Challenger II accident near Emporia, Kansas, August 28, 2013
On August 28, 2013 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Challenger II, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Emporia, Kansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The right wing’s folding up in flight for reasons that could not be determined because an examination did not reveal any abnormalities with the airframe that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 2013 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Emporia, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Challenger II, amateur-built
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial CH2-0600-R-1983
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was ferrying the experimental, amateur-built airplane back to his home airport. As he approached an en route airport, part of the right wing folded up, and the airplane spiraled down. The airplane impacted trees and came to rest near a creek. The airplane did not have an airworthiness certificate or registration number. Examination of the wreckage revealed no preexisting damage that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot did not have any of the airplane's previous records; the reason for the right wing folding could not be determined.
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
- Aircraft structural failure during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Aircraft structural failure during uncontrolled descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Wing structure › (general) › Failure
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,104 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 3,980 on instruments
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KHRU Herington KS
- Destination: Joplin MO
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KEMP
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 UNREG 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.