Amateur-built BD 4 accident near Fairfield, Iowa, June 22, 2014
On June 22, 2014 at about 4:17 pm local time, a 1999 amateur-built BD 4, registered N108BC, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Fairfield, Iowa (Fairfield Municipal). It was a personal flight 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 loss of airplane control due to the in-flight separation of the propeller blades for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 2014 · about 4:17 pm local time
- Place
- Fairfield, Iowa · Fairfield Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BD 4 UNDESIGNAT, built 1999
- Registration
- N108BC · no longer on the register · serial 153
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness reported seeing the airplane take off, make a 90-degree left turn, descend, and subsequently collide with terrain about 600 ft east of the runway. A postimpact fire ensued. During the examination of the accident site, all of the airplane's structure was found except for the propeller blades. The day after the accident, the airport manager found two of the three propeller blades while he was mowing grass. Photographs of the two propeller blades showed damage consistent with the in-flight separation of the blades. Neither blade exhibited impact or thermal damage. The breaks at the hub were not bent but pulled straight out. The reason for the in-flight separation of the propeller blades 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
- Part(s) separation from AC during initial climb defining event
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Failure
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 480 hours in all; 400 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ford CONVERSION (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: KFFL Fairfield IA at 4:15 pm
- Destination: KFFL Fairfield IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 4:15 pm from KFFL
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 N108BC 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.