Amateur-built 750 accident near Silex, Missouri, September 7, 2022
On September 7, 2022 at about 8:20 pm local time, a 2011 amateur-built 750, registered N1949H, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Silex, Missouri (Herrmann-Faulk Airfield). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the powerlines during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 7, 2022 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Silex, Missouri · Herrmann-Faulk Airfield · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 750, built 2011
- Registration
- N1949H · no longer on the register · serial 75-7637
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and pilot-rated passenger departed from a 1,100-ft-long turf runway on the first flight after assembling the kit-built airplane. The pilot reported that the airplane’s ground roll was about 400 ft, and after takeoff, he turned right to avoid a rural power line near the end of the runway. The airplane subsequently impacted the power line and then terrain, which damaged both wings and fuselage. The pilot reported, and a postaccident examination corroborated, that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot remarked that the airplane’s “Y” yoke, located between the two pilots’ knees, made pitch control during the takeoff more difficult, as compared to a control wheel or stick. Takeoff performance information from the kit manufacturer indicated the airplane with a 100 horsepower (HP) engine was capable of clearing the power line by a significant margin; whereas a pilot operating handbook released in 2009 for factory-built airplanes equipped with a 100 HP engine indicated significantly less margin to clear the power line. Takeoff performance information for the accident airplane, which was equipped with a 120 HP engine, was not available to the pilots. The pilot reflected that a better risk management option for the initial takeoff would have been to depart solo and meet the pilot-rated passenger at another airport with a longer runway.
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
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Contributed to outcome
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Climb capability › Related operating info
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: sport pilot; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 22,247 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 102 in the last 90 days; 51 in the last 30 days; 11,127 as pilot in command; 576 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 24, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 155 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 27, 2019
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 163 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, December 1, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru 3300 (piston); 163 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 54MO Silex MO at 3:20 pm
- Destination: 54MO Silex MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 1,100 ft by 80 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from KMYJ, 40 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KMYJ 072015Z AUTO 03008KT 10SM SCT050 27/17 A3014 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on January 30, 2024. 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 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Passenger Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Runway and Accident Site Diagram | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Aircraft Examination and Summary | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Takeoff Performance Information - Kit Manufacturer - Continental Engine | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Takeoff Performance Information - Excerpt of Factory Built POH (Continental Engine) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Weight and Balance Information | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Experimental Aircraft Association Guidance - Excerpt | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 10 | FAA Advisory Circular - Amateur Built Aircraft - Excerpt of Airport Selection | 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.
Other NTSB records under N1949H 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.