Amateur-built Ison Hi-Max 1700 accident near Hendersonville, North Carolina, October 30, 2004
On October 30, 2004 at about 2:45 pm local time, a amateur-built Ison Hi-Max 1700, registered N105DN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hendersonville, North Carolina (Hendersonville airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 30, 2004 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Hendersonville, North Carolina · Hendersonville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Ison Hi-Max 1700
- Registration
- N105DN · no longer on the register · serial MK790
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, shortly after takeoff for the airplane's first test flight, the wind increased to approximately 25 knots. Climbout was normal, but with the increased wind, the airplane was increasingly harder to control. After turning crosswind at about 100 feet altitude, the airplane was caught in a wind shear, and he could not control the airplane. However, according to several witnesses, the airplane took off in calm winds. Witnesses stated that approximately 100 feet above ground level, the airplane banked 50 degrees left, the left wing dropped, and the airplane spun to the left about one-half turn before colliding with the ground. On-scene examination of the airplane found that it had collided with the ground in a steep nose down attitude.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,040 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Last flight review: May 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 0 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2004; 0 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental AO84-IV (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0A7 Hendersonville NC at 2:40 pm
- Destination: 0A7 Hendersonville NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 3,075 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from AVL, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.