Ryan NAVION A accident near Belleville, Illinois, October 19, 2024
On October 19, 2024 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 1948 Ryan NAVION A, registered N2341, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Belleville, Illinois (Aero Estates 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during the takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 19, 2024 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Belleville, Illinois · Aero Estates Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ryan NAVION A, built 1948 · all NAVION As on the register
- Registration
- N2341 · no longer on the register · serial NAV-4-1635
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
An airport surveillance video showed the airplane in a takeoff roll become airborne in a nose-high attitude, settle back down to the runway, and bounce hard on the main landing gear. The airplane went through this cycle twice and on the final bounce, the right wheel separated from the airplane and the left horizontal stabilizer struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage. Attempts were made to contact the pilot for a statement, and a National Transportation Safety Board Form 6120.1 Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report was mailed to the pilot’s address via certified mail. The pilot did not return phone calls, and the accident report form was returned as “undeliverable.” An examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operations.
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
- Abnormal runway contact during takeoff
- Loss of control in flight during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › (general) › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental E185 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Runway 16, 2,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.45 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 pm from KSTL, 23 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KSTL 191851Z 14006KT 10SM FEW250 23/04 A3045
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on May 9, 2025. 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 | Letter to Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Mor-jason Hurtt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Surveillance Footage | video | 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 CEN25LA032.