Quad City CHALLENGER accident near Van Burensburg, Illinois, February 28, 2026
On February 28, 2026 at about 10:00 pm local time, a 1994 Quad City CHALLENGER, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Van Burensburg, 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Propeller separation due to failure of the propeller attachment bolts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 28, 2026 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Van Burensburg, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quad City CHALLENGER, built 1994, amateur-built
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial NA
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner reported that during straight and level flight, he felt a “shudder” and heard a “thump” and the airplane’s engine over sped. He executed a forced landing to a field, but the airplane’s right main landing gear separated from the airplane. The airplane came to rest on the remaining landing gear and the right wing. Postaccident examination revealed that the airplane’s pusher propeller had separated from the engine. During the separation, the propeller struck the left wing, tearing the fabric covering and substantially damaging internal structure. The forced landing resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage lower longerons. Photographic evidence supplied by the pilot showed that the threaded portion of the 6 bolts that retained the propeller were still in the engine propeller hub. The propeller and the unthreaded portion of the propeller bolts were not recovered. The pilot reported that other than the propeller separation, there were no preexisting mechanical problems with the airplane. He noted that the accident could have been prevented by performing a better inspection under the propeller hub, noting that the propeller bolts are not visible during daily inspections. The airplane was not registered, and the pilot did not hold a Federal Aviation Administration issued pilot certificate. He reported that he thought the operation of the airplane was covered under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 103 – Ultralight Vehicles. 14 CFR 103 details the operation of ultralight vehicles that do not require a pilot certificate, a medical certificate, or registration of the vehicle. The vehicle requirements include an empty weight of less than 254 pounds, a fuel capacity not exceeding 5 gallons, a maximum level flight speed of 55 kts., and a stall speed of no more than 24 kts. Although the airplane was not weighed following the accident, research indicated that the accident airplane may have achieved all the requirements, except the fuel limitation. The accident airplane was equipped with a 10-gallon fuel tank. As such, the airplane should have been registered, and the pilot should have been certificated.
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
- Part(s) separation from AC during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › (general) › (general) › Failure
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Misc hardware › Fasteners › Not specified
Pilot
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 960 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Hirth 3202 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VLA Vandalia IL at 9:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 9,500 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from KTAZ, 30 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KTAZ 282155Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM OVC095 15/M03 A3001 RMK AO2 T01471032 PWINO=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 CEN26LA131.