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).
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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 October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 2022 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Harvard, Illinois · Dacy 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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 CEN22LA393.