Bede Aircraft BD5 A-B accident near Kankakee, Illinois, April 18, 1987
On April 18, 1987 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Bede Aircraft BD5 A-B, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N501RM, was destroyed in an accident near Kankakee, Illinois (Greater Kankakee airport). It was a personal flight 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
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
- April 18, 1987 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Kankakee, Illinois · Greater Kankakee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bede Aircraft BD5 A-B, amateur-built
- Registration
- N501RM · registry record · serial 1736-A
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT TOOK OFF ON THE FIRST TEST FLIGHT IN HIS HOMEBUILT AIRCRAFT AND AFTER CLIMBING TO APPROXIMATELY 1000 FT. AGL, STALLED THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT THEN SUBSEQUENTLY ENTERED A SPIN AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND. THERE WERE REPORTS OF THE AIRCRAFT'S ENGINE 'SPUTTERING'. INVESTIGATORS DETERMINED THAT THE PROPELLER WAS NOT SPINNING AT IMPACT. THE PILOT HAD REPORTED CARBURETION PROBLEMS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT, BUT THE ENGINE WAS TOO BADLY DAMAGED BY POST IMPACT FIRE TO ALLOW A DETERMINATION OF WHAT CAUSED A POWERLOSS.
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: 214 hours in all; 16 in the last 90 days; 214 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 13, 1987; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 890 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Kawasaki KR-1000 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: IKK Kankakee IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 004° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 80 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.