Moyes DRAGONFLY accident near Ridgely, MD
On July 23, 2011, a Moyes DRAGONFLY (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ridgely, MD. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 23, 2011
- Place
- Ridgely, MD
- Aircraft
- Moyes DRAGONFLY · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 38.971°N, 75.855°W
- NTSB ID
- 20110723X95952
Official records · ERA11FA413
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 23, 2011, about 0715 eastern daylight time, a Moyes Dragonfly airplane, N402HA, owned and operated by Highland Aerosports Inc., was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain at Ridgely Airpark (RJD), Ridgely, Maryland. The pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 glider tow flight. According to a flight instructor who was towed aloft by the airplane with his student in a tandem configured hang glider, it was "hot and sticky" that morning and he had briefed his student prior to the flight that it would take a longer ground roll than normal to takeoff. After they took off in tow, the flight instructor climbed the hang glider up to an altitude of about 15 feet above ground level (agl) behind the airplane. During the tow he observed that the airplane did not lift off until it was near the end of the grass runway. As the airplane reached the end of the runway, he saw the towline "release" from the airplane. He also observed that as the airplane reached an adjacent soybean field, that the airplane was "tickling the beans with its wheels". The flight instructor then continued straight ahead and executed a landing to that same soybean field. Then as he and his student were getting out of their harnesses, he heard the airplane above him. It was "really loud" and he wondered what the pilot was doing. Moments later he heard the airplane impact the ground behind him. According to a witness, after the release, the airplane began to turn left while climbing until it had
Probable cause
An in-flight loss of control for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examinations.
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Browse: Maryland
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
