Amateur-built DRAGONFLY accident near Kenosha, Wisconsin, June 16, 1991
On June 16, 1991 at about 9:30 pm local time, a amateur-built DRAGONFLY, registered N222TH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kenosha, Wisconsin (Kenosha 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
INADEQUATE AIRCRAFT DESIGN AND INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION REGARDING WING VERSUS CANARD ANGLE FOR AN AMATEUR BUILT AIRCRAFT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 1991 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Kenosha, Wisconsin · Kenosha · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DRAGONFLY
- Registration
- N222TH · no longer on the register · serial 491
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT/BUILDER OF THE AMATEUR BUILT AIRCRAFT WAS CONDUCTING THE FIRST FLIGHT ON THE AIRCRAFT. ON INITIAL LANDING THE PILOT FOUND THAT HE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH CONTROL AUTHORITY TO FLARE THE AIRCRAFT FOR LANDING. A SECOND AND THIRD ATTEMPT WERE MADE WITH SIMILAR FINDINGS. ON THE THIRD ATTEMPT THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED APPROXIMATELY TEN FEET IN THE AIR AND ON LANDING THE LEFT CANARD WHICH ALSO SERVES AS THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR, FAILED. THE PILOT/BUILDER STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT DESIGN AND LIMITED INFORMATION IN THE DESIGN PLANS COULD ALLOW FOR AS MUCH AS THREE DEGREES VARIATION IN THE ANGLE BETWEEN THE WING AND THE CANARD, THIS, HE CONTENDS, COULD CONTRIBUTE TO THE LIMITED CONTROL AUTHORITY.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,209 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,225 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Hapi 82-2DEH (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 8 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.
Other NTSB records under N222TH 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.