Amateur-built Dragonfly accident near Brentwood, California, October 28, 2006
On October 28, 2006 at about 8:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Dragonfly, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Brentwood, California. 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 pilot's failure to obtain and maintain an adequate airspeed during the initial climb resulting in a stall and uncontrolled descent into terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 28, 2006 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Brentwood, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Dragonfly
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The unregistered aircraft descended into terrain during the initial climb from a private airstrip. A witness, who was also the owner of the airplane, stated that he observed the departure and noted that the airplane quickly became airborne after about a 30- to 40-foot ground roll, which was earlier than he expected. The airplane subsequently settled back to the ground and bounced hard. It became airborne again and was in a shallow climb with an airspeed of about 50 miles per hour, which the owner noted was very slow. The airplane momentarily leveled off after reaching about 100 feet above ground level (agl). Several seconds later, the nose dropped, and the aircraft dove toward the ground in a past-vertical attitude. During the entire accident sequence, the owner heard the engine operating at what he believed to be a maximum power setting. According to the kit manufacturer's specifications, the airplane exceeded the 14 CFR Part 103 requirements to be considered an ultralight.
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: 25 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 256 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 256 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Brentwood CA at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°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 UNREG 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.