Jabiru USA Sport Aircraft LLC J250-SP accident near Cortland, Illinois, February 11, 2023
On February 11, 2023 at about 8:06 pm local time, a 2007 Jabiru USA Sport Aircraft LLC J250-SP, registered N592J, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Cortland, Illinois (Dekalb Taylor Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 11, 2023 · about 8:06 pm local time
- Place
- Cortland, Illinois · Dekalb Taylor Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Jabiru USA Sport Aircraft LLC J250-SP, built 2007 · all J250-SPs on the register
- Registration
- N592J · no longer on the register · serial 412
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident airplane was being flown to the pilot/owner’s home after a replacement engine had been installed. According to the pilot, the maintenance facility had conducted about 4 hours of flight testing after the engine installation was completed. Additionally, the pilot flew 4 takeoffs and landings on the day before the accident flight. The airplane was fully fueled before the flight on the morning of the accident. After an initial flight of about 1 1/4 hours, the pilot and passenger landed for a short break. The subsequent takeoff and initial portion of the accident flight were uneventful. However, about 2 1/2 hours after takeoff, during cruise flight at 4,500 feet mean sea level (msl), the engine suddenly stopped producing power. The pilot’s efforts to restore engine power were not successful, and she executed a forced landing to a muddy field. The airplane came to rest on its nose, with damage to the fuselage and right wing. Examination of the airplane at the accident site determined that about six gallons of fuel were present in the left-wing fuel tank. A small, undetermined amount of fuel was present in the right-wing fuel tank; however, the right wing was damaged during the impact sequence. A postrecovery engine examination noted fuel in the carburetor bowl. The examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The total fuel capacity was 36 gallons, and the fuel consumption ranged from 5.5 to 7.0 gph. As a result, the expected fuel consumption for a 4-hour flight would be about 28 gallons. The investigation was unable to identify any cause for the loss of engine power during cruise flight.
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
- Off-field or emergency landing during enroute (cruise)
- Nose over/nose down during landing
- Unknown or undetermined during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Power plant › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 363 hours in all; 353 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 258 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 28, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 504.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 11, 2022; 67.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru 3300A (piston); 843 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JQD Hartford KY at 5:00 pm
- Destination: UES Waukesha WI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 pm from ARR, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 CEN23LA106.