Amateur-built W-8 accident near Poplar Grove, Illinois, February 14, 2026
On February 14, 2026 at about 10:00 pm local time, a 1962 amateur-built W-8, registered N9424H, was destroyed in an accident during enroute near Poplar Grove, Illinois (Poplar Grove 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
- February 14, 2026 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Poplar Grove, Illinois · Poplar Grove · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built W-8, built 1962 · all W-8s on the register
- Registration
- N9424H · registry record · serial 86
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On February 14, 2026, about 1600 central standard time, an experimental, amateur-built Tailwind W-8 airplane, N9424H, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Poplar Grove, Illinois. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to witnesses, the pilot attended a local fly-in event at Cottonwood airport (1C8), Rockford, Illinois, and was returning to Poplar Grove Airport (C77) at the time of the accident. The pilot departed 1C8 about 15 minutes before the accident. The pilot was not in communication with air traffic control during the approximately 13 nm flight. A witness who was working in his driveway when he heard the airplane stated that it sounded louder than normal. When he looked up, the airplane was in a nosedive and then impacted the ground in his yard. The airplane impacted the ground between two homes in a residential community about .7 nm south of C77. The airplane came to rest inverted on a magnetic heading of 189º at an elevation of 839 ft. The airplane sustained extensive damage to the fuselage and wooden wings consistent with a high-energy impact. All major components of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site. The engine was embedded about 3 ft into the ground. The propellor hub and remnants of the wooden propellor were impact separated and buried beneath the engine. The engine oil pan was crushed, and the engine was separated from the firewall. Approximately 3 gallons of fuel was observed in the impact crater when the engine was removed. A portable iFly 740b gps was recovered from the accident site and forwarded to the NTSB vehicle recorders laboratory for data download. The airplane wreckage was recovered and retained for further examination.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during enroute defining event
- Unknown or undetermined during enroute
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: 1C8 Rockford IL at 9:45 pm
- Destination: C77 Poplar Grove IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from RFD, 13 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KRFD 142154Z 00000KT 10SM BKN250 11/M02 A2996 RMK AO2 SLP151 T01061022
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.