Hildebrant Rutan Defiant accident near Bloomfield, IN
On September 7, 2005, a Hildebrant Rutan Defiant (airplane) was involved in an accident near Bloomfield, IN. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 7, 2005
- Place
- Bloomfield, IN
- Aircraft
- Hildebrant Rutan Defiant · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.044°N, 87.006°W
- NTSB ID
- 20050920X01497
NTSB summary
On September 7, 2005, at 1625 eastern standard time, an amateur-built Hildebrant Rutan Defiant airplane, N219DF, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed during a post accident ground fire after overrunning the departure end of runway 36 (2,160 feet by 150 feet, turf) at the Shawnee Field Airport, near Bloomfield, Indiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot was fatally injured. The local area flight was originating at the time of the accident. Witnesses to the accident reported that the pilot performed a high-speed taxi on runway 36 prior to attempting a takeoff run. One witness reported that he advised the pilot "to use the grass before the threshold for max takeoff length." Witnesses reported that the airplane overran the end of the runway during a subsequent takeoff attempt. The airplane was found in a cornfield, north of the departure end of runway 36. Witnesses stated that the wreckage was found inverted and engulfed in flames. A witness reported that the pilot had evacuated himself from the wreckage and told him that he "couldn't get [the airplane] off the ground." The pilot suffered second and third degree burns over approximately 93 percent of his body. The pilot died as of result of his injuries on September 10, 2005. The closest weather reporting station to the accident site was located at the Monroe County Airport (MBG), approximately 19 nautical miles east of the accident site. The airport was
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning which resulted in the airplane overrunning the end of the runway during the aborted takeoff. A factor to the accident was the pilot's lack of familiarity with the airplane and the corn crop.
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Browse: Indiana
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
