Amateur-built Bluegrass Express accident near Grafton, Illinois, January 9, 2003
On January 9, 2003 at about 6:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Bluegrass Express, registered N113YE, was destroyed in an accident near Grafton, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Undetermined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 9, 2003 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Grafton, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Bluegrass Express
- Registration
- N113YE · no longer on the register · serial 099A
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The experimental amateur homebuilt airplane was destroyed on impact with terrain. The pilot was fatally injured. A witness said that the pilot said he was leaving for Kansas City ,Missouri . Another witness said that the accident flight's takeoff was approximately 1130 on January 9, 2003. On January 25, 2003, a missing persons report was filed. The airplane's route of flight was searched by air and ground teams. The searching did not find the wreckage and on February 19, 2003, the mission was suspended. On July 30, 2003, the wreckage was found. Weather along a direct route of flight was VFR. Due to the damage the airplane sustained, pre-impact anomalies were unable to be determined. Decomposition of the body precluded a Final Forensic Toxicology Accident Report. The accident site was along a direct route of flight. The Civil Air Patrol Incident Commander stated that their search was hampered because of the time lapse between his departure and the report that he was overdue.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,700 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 29, 2002
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 27K Georgetown KY at 4:30 pm
- Destination: MKC Kansas City MO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 19 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 6:54 pm from SET, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.