Amateur-built VP-1 accident near Dekalb, Illinois, November 12, 1987
On November 12, 1987 at about 7:10 pm local time, a amateur-built VP-1, registered N99VP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dekalb, Illinois (Dekalb 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
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
- November 12, 1987 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Dekalb, Illinois · Dekalb · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VP-1
- Registration
- N99VP · no longer on the register · serial 1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD LITTLE EXPERIENCE FLYING TAILWHEEL EQUIPPED ACFT & HAD ONLY 10 HRS FLT TIME IN THIS MAKE & MODEL. DURING ARRIVAL, HE LANDED ON RWY 27 WITH A QUARTERING LEFT X-WIND THAT WAS GUSTING TO 20 KTS. JUST BEFORE TOUCHDOWN, A GUST OF WIND CAUSED THE ACFT TO BANK TO THE RIGHT. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT CONTACTED THE RWY IN A RIGHT WING LOW ATTITUDE, BENDING THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR. THE ACFT THEN VEERED TO THE LEFT & THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED, DAMAGING THE PROP & LEFT WING SPAR.
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: 206 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 700 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1987; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen UNK (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LL53 Plato Center IL at 6:50 pm
- Destination: DKB
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,542 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.