Amateur-built E-Racer accident near Aurora, Illinois, June 21, 2008
On June 21, 2008 at about 5:30 pm local time, a amateur-built E-Racer, registered N345JM, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Aurora, Illinois (Chicago/Aurora Muni 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An undetermined failure in the high-pressure fuel system, and the subsequent loss of engine power and in-flight fire. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's restricted visibility due to the smoke in the cockpit, failure of the aileron control during landing flare, and the collapse of the left main landing gear due to the hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 2008 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Aurora, Illinois · Chicago/Aurora Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built E-Racer
- Registration
- N345JM · registry record · serial 113
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot experienced a complete loss of engine power during initial climb after takeoff. The airplane was about 1 mile from the airport at 2,000 feet mean sea level at the time. The pilot elected to return to the airport for landing and notified the air traffic control tower accordingly. The cockpit began to fill with smoke, and shortly afterward the pilot reported noticing a fire in the cockpit near the firewall. The pilot successfully continued an approach to the departure runway, intermittently losing visual contact with the runway due to the smoke in the cockpit. On short final, he applied full left aileron and rudder inputs in an attempt to align the airplane for landing; however, the aileron control failed at that time. The airplane landed hard and the left main landing gear collapsed. The airplane spun around and came to rest about 1,500 feet from the runway threshold. The pilot successfully evacuated the airplane, which was subsequently consumed by the fire. The post accident examination was unable to locate the exact source of the fire. The pilot commented that the extent and rapid progression of the fire was consistent with a failure in the high-pressure fuel system.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during initial climb defining event
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during emergency descent
- Flight control sys malf/fail during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel distribution › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › (general) › (general) › Failure
- factor Environmental issues › Task environment › Physical workspace › Air quality/dust/smoke › Effect on personnel
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Aileron control system › Failure
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 490 hours in all; 365 in this make and model
- Last flight review: November 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 365 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,240 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1D1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ARR Aurora IL at 5:25 pm
- Destination: C16 Urbana IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 6,501 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 13 knots, gusting 28
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 5:52 pm from ARR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N345JM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.