Amateur-built Glasair II RG accident near Bolivar, Missouri, June 24, 2001
On June 24, 2001 at about 6:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Glasair II RG, registered N96L, was destroyed in an accident near Bolivar, Missouri (Bolivar Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not maintaining aircraft control during the initial climb after takeoff. A factor to the accident was the pilot's decision to operate the airplane over the kit manufacture's recommended maximum gross weight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 2001 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bolivar, Missouri · Bolivar Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Glasair II RG
- Registration
- N96L · no longer on the register · serial 1031RG
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the initial climb after takeoff, the airplane entered an uncommanded left roll and impacted the terrain. A witness reported, "The airplane was about 50 feet off the ground and rolling to the left at a fairly fast rate. I believe the roll had already begun when I first saw the airplane. The roll continued to an inverted attitude and possibly past inverted. The airplane crashed immediately into he grass on the east side of the runway. I saw dirt and grass fly into the air, but there was no fire or smoke." According to a statement provided by the pilot's lawyer, "During the takeoff climb, before the gear were to be retracted, without warning, the aircraft entered an uncommanded roll to the left and impacted the ground on the west side of Runway 18, facing north." No anomalies were found with the airframe, the flight control systems, or the aircraft engine that could be associated with any pre-impact condition. The aircraft's weight was calculated to be approximately 115 lbs over the kit manufacturer's recommended maximum gross weight at the beginning of the flight.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,700 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,680 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 30, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 645 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 14, 2000; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Avco Lycoming IO-360-B1E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: M17 Bolivar MO at 6:00 pm
- Destination: TRX Trenton MO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 18, 3,399 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from SGF, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.