Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during the takeoff.
NTSB analysis
An airport surveillance video showed the airplane in a takeoff roll become airborne in a nose-high attitude, settle back down to the runway, and bounce hard on the main landing gear. The airplane went through this cycle twice and on the final bounce, the right wheel separated from the airplane and the left horizontal stabilizer struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage.
Attempts were made to contact the pilot for a statement, and a National Transportation Safety Board Form 6120.1 Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report was mailed to the pilot’s address via certified mail. The pilot did not return phone calls, and the accident report form was returned as “undeliverable.”
An examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operations.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN25LA032 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Oct 19, 2024
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Belleville, Illinois
- Nearest airport
- Aero Estates Airport (7IS2)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Ryan NAVION A
- N-number
- N2341
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1948
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.