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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 23, 2023 · about 3:10 pm local time · cases in 2023
- Place
- Bolivar, Missouri · Bolivar Muni · 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
- 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 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The 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
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 · our copy | 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
- N907ML on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Jabaru 2200A · as the NTSB recorded it
- Bolivar Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Missouri 1,640 since 1982 · 219 in the last ten years
- Missouri 5,817 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN23LA260.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.