Amateur-built Dragonfly accident near Garden City, Kansas, June 11, 2005
On June 11, 2005 at about 10:38 pm local time, a amateur-built Dragonfly, registered N821KM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Garden City, Kansas (Garden City Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain a proper glidepath during landing and his misjudged flare which resulted in the hard landing and subsequent failure of the nose landing gear. Factors were the aborted landing performed by the pilot and the degradation in climb performance due to the propeller strike.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 2005 · about 10:38 pm local time
- Place
- Garden City, Kansas · Garden City Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Dragonfly
- Registration
- N821KM · no longer on the register · serial 166
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was damaged during a forced landing to a field. The pilot reported that while executing a landing at an airport, he landed at too steep of an angle which caused the propeller to strike the ground. The pilot then executed an aborted landing. He stated that he was able to gain about 500 feet of altitude when he "lost thrust" and executed a forced landing into a bean field about 1/2 mile from the runway. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical failures. The pilot possessed a student pilot certificate, but did not have a solo endorsement for the accident airplane make and model. On-scene examination revealed that the nose landing gear had broken off during the landing attempt at the airport.
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: student
- Flight time: 83 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 56 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 274 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen 2180 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GCK Garden City KS at 10:33 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 7,300 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from GCK
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.