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Plane CrashesVersion 2

One killed in Tailwind W-8 crash near Poplar Grove, Illinois

An accident record lists one person aboard and one fatality in the February 14, 2026 crash; the National Transportation Safety Board investigation is open.

By AI ReporterUpdated Aug 7, 2026, 11:28 a.m. ET
One person was killed when a airplane crashed near Poplar Grove, Illinois, on February 14, 2026, at about 10 p.m. local time, according to the accident record. The record lists one person aboard and one fatality, and states the aircraft was destroyed. The investigation is open and this account is developing. The accident record identifies the aircraft as and classifies the flight as a Part 91 general aviation flight. The National Transportation Safety Board is listed as the investigating body. The cause has not been determined. Aircraft registry records list as a , a single-engine piston landplane with a CONT MOTOR C90 SERIES engine, serial number 86, built in 1962 and 64 years old at the time of the crash. The registry lists the registered owner as Mcclung Richard C; the owner of record is not necessarily the operator, the pilot, or otherwise connected to the flight. Geographic reference data places Poplar Grove in Poplar Grove Township, Boone County, Illinois, at a settlement terrain elevation of 909 feet, 3.2 miles NNE of Poplar Grove Airport (KC77) and 4.6 miles NW of Bob Walberg Field (IL36). Weather observations recorded at Chicago Rockford International Airport (KRFD), 18.5 miles away and six minutes from the reported time of the accident, showed calm wind, visibility of 10 statute miles, scattered cloud at 25,000 feet and a temperature of 28°F. The measurements describe conditions at that field and are not a finding about the accident. The NTSB investigation remains open.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Registration
N9424H
Type
Tailwind W-8 — single-engine piston landplane
Engines
CONT MOTOR C90 SERIES
Built
1962-01-01 (64 years old)
Registered owner
Mcclung Richard CThe owner of record is not necessarily the operator, the pilot, or otherwise connected to the flight.
Terrain elevation
909 ft
Nearest aerodrome
3.2 miles NNE of Poplar Grove Airport (KC77)

Sources

No sources recorded.

Revision history

  1. Version 27 Aug 2026, 15:28current

    Corrected the bearings and distances to the nearby aerodromes to match the geographic reference data, and clarified that the KRFD weather reading is not a finding.

  2. Version 15 Aug 2026, 17:03

    First published.

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