Amateur-built N6954K accident near Palmyra, Illinois

Preliminary information

On August 10, 2026, about 1248 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built 173 FG Elite II airplane, N6954K, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Palmyra, Illinois. The pilot and two passengers sustained no injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal cross-country flight.

According to the pilot, 14 gallons of 100 low lead fuel was purchased prior to the flight at the St. Louis Regional Airport (ALN), East Alton, Illinois. The airplane departed from ALN about 1210, and the destination was the Whiteside County Airport (SQI), Rock Falls, Illinois, where the pilot based the airplane. The airplane climbed to about 7,500 ft msl and established a cruise flight configuration. About 15 minutes later, the engine sustained a total loss of power. The pilot declared an emergency with air traffic control. The pilot coordinated with the controller, and he decided to divert to the nearest airport, the Zelmer Memorial Airpark (5K1), Palmyra, Illinois. During the emergency descent, he attempted to restore the engine power. He noticed that partial engine power was restored by pulling the mixture control nearly to the idle cutoff position. He further noticed that further attempts at a richer setting caused a loss of engine power.

The pilot maneuvered the airplane for a straight-in approach to runway 18 at 5K1. He noted that the approach was too high and too fast. During the landing, the airplane departed the runway to the left. The airplane came to rest upright in a flat soybean field.

The experimental canard airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, the right wing, and the right canard. Postaccident examination found the fuel system to be intact, and the two wing fuel tanks were found to be more than half full. A fuel sample did not reveal any contamination. According to the pilot, there is no fuel selector valve assembly installed, only a fuel cutoff control. The two wing fuel tanks feed into a single header fuel tank. The airplane was recovered from the accident site, and it was transported to a secure location for future examination.

The composite airplane was built from a kit in 1998. A review of FAA records showed that the pilot purchased the airplane in May 2008. The airplane was equipped with a Lycoming Engines IO-360-C1D6 reciprocating engine and a MT-Propeller MTV-18-B/LD168-101 controllable pitch three blade wood-composite propeller.

A review of the airplane’s maintenance records showed that a condition inspection was performed by a mechanic on February 15, 2026, for the airframe, the engine, and the propeller. The airplane accumulated 23.7 hours since the condition inspection.

Text from the NTSB; a preliminary report can change and names no cause. Open the NTSB docket for CEN26LA283 for the full record.