Amateur-built DRAGONFLY accident near Metropolis, Illinois, August 30, 1991
On August 30, 1991 at about 4:50 pm local time, a amateur-built DRAGONFLY, registered N28P, was destroyed in an accident near Metropolis, Illinois (Metropolis Muni. 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
PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED ABOVE STALL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 1991 · about 4:50 pm local time · cases in 1991
- Place
- Metropolis, Illinois · Metropolis Muni. · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DRAGONFLY
- Registration
- N28P · no longer on the register · serial 268
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A COMMERCIAL PILOT ON A LOCAL FLIGHT RETURNED TO LAND HIS HOMEBUILT AIRPLANE. HE BOUNCED THE FIRST LANDING AND MADE TWO MORE CIRCUITS OF THE PATTERN WITHOUT TOUCHING DOWN. ON THE FOURTH PASS, THE AIRPLANE WAS SEEN TO TURN STEEPLY TO FINAL, STALL AND SPIRAL TO GROUND ONE HALF MILE FROM THE RUNWAY.
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: 2,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 1,075 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Hapi 60-20DM (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:42 pm from PAH, 9 miles away
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N28P: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Engine: Hapi 60-20DM 4 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Metropolis Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,117 since 1982 · 251 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,052 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI91DEV03.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.