Amateur-built ESCAPADE accident near Bolivar, Missouri, June 23, 2023
On June 23, 2023 at about 3:10 pm local time, a 2009 amateur-built ESCAPADE, registered N907ML, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Bolivar, Missouri (Bolivar Muni 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 aircraft control during a soft-field takeoff after encountering a wind gust.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 23, 2023 · about 3:10 pm local time
- Place
- Bolivar, Missouri · Bolivar Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ESCAPADE, built 2009
- Registration
- N907ML · registry record · serial JAESC 0066
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing a soft-field takeoff from a grass runway when the airplane encountered a wind gust shortly after rotation. The pilot reported that the wind gust pushed up the airplane’s nose and moved the airplane sideways. The left wing impacted the terrain, then the right wing and forward fuselage. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and forward fuselage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,674 hours in all; 74 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 222 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, November 30, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabaru 2200A (piston); 222 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 1,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 am from KSGF, 21 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KSGF 231552Z 21004KT 10SM CLR 28/19 A3002 RMK AO2 SLP154 T02830189
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on July 27, 2023. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photographs | 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.
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 CEN23LA260.