Pietenpol AIRCAMPER accident near Hanover, Illinois, August 20, 2023
On August 20, 2023 at about 1:00 pm local time, a 2010 Pietenpol AIRCAMPER, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N929DH, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Hanover, Illinois. 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall during an attempted forced landing at low altitude. Contributing to the accident was the loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2023 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hanover, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pietenpol AIRCAMPER, built 2010, amateur-built · all AIRCAMPERs on the register
- Registration
- N929DH · registry record · serial 001
- 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, about 45 minutes after takeoff, the engine began to lose power and he attempted a forced landing to a hayfield. As the airplane descended toward the hayfield, the pilot allowed the airspeed to decrease. The airplane stalled and impacted a cornfield, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. Postaccident examination of the fuel system revealed that the fuel cap was loosely installed, and the sight glass indicated the fuel tank was nearly full. Fuel samples from the gascolator contained an unidentified white particulate, with no water detected. The throttle cable was disconnected at the carburetor; this was likely due to the fuselage separation during impact. Examination of the engine revealed no evidence of pre-impact failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the fuel system revealed only a small amount of fuel in the carburetor bowl; however, it could not be determined whether that resulted from impact or an in-flight lack of fuel delivery to the carburetor. Although the FAA’s Carburetor Icing Chart revealed that the reported temperature and dew point conditions were conducive to the formation of carburetor icing at glide and cruise power, the investigation could not determine that the loss of engine power resulted from the formation of carburetor icing.
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
- Unknown or undetermined during enroute defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,635 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 1,480 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 24, 2023
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 362 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 20, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 1,140 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ford Model A (piston); 400 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MXO Monticello IA at 12:00 pm
- Destination: C77 Poplar Grove IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from KDBQ, 19 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KDBQ 201553Z 02007KT 10SM CLR 29/25 A3009 RMK AO2 SLP181 T02940250 $
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 CEN23LA372.