Evolution Aircraft INC REVOLT accident near Rochelle, Illinois, July 21, 2024
On July 21, 2024, a 2022 Evolution Aircraft INC REVOLT (weight-shift aircraft), registered N798EE, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern crosswind) near Rochelle, Illinois (Rochelle Muni/Koritz Fld airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain terrain clearance during a low-level turn, that resulted in an impact with the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2024 · cases in 2024
- Place
- Rochelle, Illinois · Rochelle Muni/Koritz Fld · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Evolution Aircraft INC REVOLT NO SERIES, built 2022 · all REVOLTs on the register
- Registration
- N798EE · no longer on the register · serial 001035
- 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 he was attempting to maneuver the weight-shift aircraft to avoid an incoming aircraft that was going to land at the airport. The pilot turned the aircraft “way too low” for a right crosswind, and during the turn, the wing contacted the ground, and the aircraft “tumbled.” The aircraft came to rest upright in a field populated with crops and the pilot was assisted by witnesses with evacuating from the aircraft. The pilot classified the accident as “pilot error.” The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the wing and the fuselage. The pilot, who sustained serious injuries and was wearing a flight helmet, reported that he utilized only a lap belt, when a three-point restraint system was available in the cockpit. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine 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
- Evacuation during post (impact)
- Collision during takeoff/land during approach (VFR pattern crosswind) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Perception › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 294.1 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 8.2 in the last 90 days; 5.2 in the last 30 days; 280 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 16, 2022
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 136 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 2, 2024; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,160 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax Aircraft Engines 912ULS (piston); 164 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 07/2, 5,001 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,700 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from KRPJ, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KRPJ 202355Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 24/14 A3011 RMK AO2 T02350144 10248 20231
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – View of the front of the aircraft at the accident site
Photograph 2 – View of the left side of the aircraft at the accident site
Photograph 3 – View of the rear of the aircraft at the accident site
Photograph 4 – View of the right side of the aircraft at the accident siteThe 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 September 12, 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 5 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
- N798EE: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Evolution Aircraft Inc REVOLT 49 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Rotax Aircraft Engines 912ULS 62 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Rochelle Muni/Koritz Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,118 since 1982 · 251 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,055 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN24LA279.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.