Pilot Debrief

BAILEY-MOYES DRAGONFLY near Whitewater, WI — 2026-06-23

Investigation ongoingCEN26LA231
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Date
2026-06-23
Location
Whitewater, WI, USA
Airport
5Y3
Aircraft
BAILEY-MOYES DRAGONFLY
Registration
N3849A
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1

Probable cause

NTSB has not published a probable cause for this accident yet. Preliminary reports describe what happened; the cause is determined later, often 12–24 months after the event.

NTSB narrative

On June 22, 2026, about 1915 central daylight time, a Bailey-Moyes Dragonfly, N3849A, was involved in an accident near Whitewater, Wisconsin. The pilot of the Dragonfly was not injured. The pilot of the hang glider in tow was fatally injured. The tow operation was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a glider tow flight. The Dragonfly, a tow plane with a hang glider in tow, took off and had reached an altitude of about 30 ft above the ground when the pilot of the tow plane felt something through the tow cable. When he looked back, he saw the hang glider pilot hanging from the base bar. The hang glider pilot fell to the ground and was fatally injured. The pilot of the tow plane released the glider, returned to the airport, and landed without further incident. The hang glider came to rest on airport property near the fallen pilot. An inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration examined the harness and carabiner used to attach the glider pilot and no obvious defects were found. The harness and carabiner were retained for further examination.

Preliminary NTSB coding

  • Glider tow event · Takeoff
View NTSB preliminary report

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