Amateur-built REPLICA TS-1 accident near Marengo, Illinois, August 31, 1985
On August 31, 1985 at about 7:00 pm local time, a amateur-built REPLICA TS-1, registered N4463, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marengo, 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 1985 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Marengo, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built REPLICA TS-1 REPLICA TS
- Registration
- N4463 · no longer on the register · serial 11-11-18
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THIS AIRCRAFT IS POWERED BY A ROTARY ENGINE. THRUST IS VARIED BY SHORTING OUT ONE MAGNETO AND VARYING THE FIRING ORDER OF THE CYLINDERS VIA AN ELECTRICAL CAM ARRANGEMENT. THE MIXTURE CONTROL IS LIMITED TO ONLY A FEW SETTINGS. ONE OF WHICH IS LEVEL FLIGHT. FOLLOWING A LOW PASS OVER THE RUNWAY AT A THRUST SETTING OF 1/2 POWER AND A MIXTURE SETTING FOR LEVEL FLIGHT, THE PILOT PULLED UP INTO A CLIMB. THE ENGINE THEN DIED AND THE PILOT LANDED STRAIGHT AHEAD IN A HAY FIELD. THE HAY CAUGHT ON HIS UNDERCARRIAGE AND THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER ON ITS BACK. FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT THE PILOT STATED THAT HE SHOULD HAVE ENRICHED THE FUEL MIXTURE PRIOR TO ATTEMPTING THE CLIMB.
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: 2,829 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 2,775 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, August 21, 1985; 2 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Gnome 9N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RLA Marengo IL at 6:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.