Experimental Tailwind W-8 Destroyed in Residential Area Near Poplar Grove, Illinois (N9424H)

Accident Overview and Flight Details On February 14, 2026, at approximately 1600 central standard time, an experimental, amateur-built Tailwind W-8 airplane, registration N9424H, was destroyed in an accident near Poplar Grove, Illinois. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight was operated as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Witnesses reported that the pilot had attended a local fly-in event at Cottonwood Airport (1C8) in Rockford, Illinois, and was returning to Poplar Grove Airport (C77) when the accident occurred. The pilot departed 1C8 about 15 minutes before the accident and was not in communication with air traffic control during the approximately 13-nautical-mile flight. A witness working in his driveway heard the airplane and noted that it sounded louder than normal. Upon looking up, the witness observed the airplane in a nosedive before it impacted the ground in his yard. The aircraft struck the ground between two homes in a residential community approximately 0.7 nautical miles south of C77. It came to rest inverted on a magnetic heading of 189 degrees at an elevation of 839 feet. The airplane sustained extensive damage to the fuselage and wooden wings, consistent with a high-energy impact. All major components of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site. The engine was embedded about 3 feet into the ground. The propeller hub and remnants of the wooden propeller were impact separated and buried beneath the engine. The engine oil pan was crushed, and the engine was separated from the firewall. Approximately 3 gallons of fuel were observed in the impact crater when the engine was removed. A portable iFly 740b GPS was recovered from the accident site and forwarded to the NTSB vehicle recorders laboratory for data download. The airplane wreckage was recovered and retained for further examination.