Amateur-built DRAGONFLY MKIIH accident near Camarillo, California, October 10, 2021
On October 10, 2021 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 2020 amateur-built DRAGONFLY MKIIH, registered N186JB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Camarillo, California (Camarillo 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 pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during takeoff
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 10, 2021 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 2021
- Place
- Camarillo, California · Camarillo · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DRAGONFLY MKIIH, built 2020
- Registration
- N186JB · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of an amateur built, tail wheel equipped airplane reported that, during takeoff for the airplane’s first test flight, the airplane lifted off the runway prematurely and unexpectedly. The pilot lowered the nose then over corrected when he tried to flare to stop the descent, however the airplane ballooned up. The pilot reduced engine power to abort the takeoff as the airplane drifted left off the runway and subsequently collided with a taxiway sign. The main landing gear collapsed and both wings were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing (aborted after touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Sign/marker › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,164 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 883 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 6, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 0 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, September 4, 2021; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ul Power 350is (piston); 2 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 6,013 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Weather report (METAR): METAR KCMA 100455Z AUTO 06005KT 10SM CLR 17/11 A3003 RMK AO2 SLP177 T01670111=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – N186JB Left side, courtesy owner
Photo 2 - N186JB Left wing and landing gear, courtesy ownerThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on February 4, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N186JB: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Engine: Ul Power 350is 12 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Camarillo Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,279 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR22LA006.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.