Boeing (Stearman) B75N1 accident near Harvard, Illinois, August 24, 2022
On August 24, 2022 at about 7:30 pm local time, a 1942 Boeing (Stearman) B75N1, registered N66417, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Harvard, Illinois (Dacy Airport). 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 failure to maintain directional control during take-off, which resulted in a collision with crop and terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 2022 · about 7:30 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Harvard, Illinois · Dacy Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing (Stearman) B75N1, built 1942
- Registration
- N66417 · registry record · serial 75-6826
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, just after take-off and while conducting the after-take-off checklist, the airplane drifted to the right and the right wing struck in a corn field. The airplane subsequently nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, vertical stabilizer, and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Nose over/nose down during takeoff defining event
- Miscellaneous/other during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 23,900 hours in all; 3,400 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 13,800 as pilot in command; 4,040 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 8, 2021
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,765 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 16, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W670-6N (piston); 3,458 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OCO Harvard IL at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,589 ft by 105 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Weather report (METAR): RFD WX: 1945Z VRB04 10 SCT 048 SCT250 28/ 17 3007
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 8 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Accident Airplane – engine / left wing / gear – (Photo
Accident Airplane / right wing / gear / engine – (Photo
Accident Airplane / horizonal stabilizer / empennage – (Photo
Accident Airplane / cockpit – (Photo
Accident Airplane / left side of fuselage / engine cowling – (Photo
Accident Airplane / full view / left side – (Photo
Accident Airplane / rear view – (Photo
Accident Airplane / full view / right side – (PhotoThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on September 15, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 8 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N66417 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Continental W670-6N 52 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Dacy Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,118 since 1982 · 251 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,055 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN22LA393.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.