Amateur-built N3-2 accident near Hendersonville, North Carolina, August 11, 1989
On August 11, 1989 at about 4:30 pm local time, a amateur-built N3-2, registered N70406, was destroyed in an accident near Hendersonville, North Carolina (Johnson Airfield). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO CARBURETOR ICE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 1989 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hendersonville, North Carolina · Johnson Airfield · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built N3-2
- Registration
- N70406 · no longer on the register · serial 0001LS
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HOMEBUILT AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A HANGER WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH TO LAND AFTER A LOSS OF POWER. THE TEMP/DEW POINT RATIO WAS 76/55. THIS WAS A DEMONSTRATION FLT WHICH FOLLOWED A SOLO, CHECK OUT FLIGHT AROUND THE PATTERN AND TWO OTHER DEMONSTRATION FLIGHTS. ON-SITE EXAMINATION REVEALED THE PRESENCE OF FUEL AND THAT THE PROPELLER WAS TURNING AT IMPACT. THE DAMAGED PROPELLER AND CARBURETOR WERE REPLACED BECAUSE THE MOUNT FOR THE CARBURETOR WAS BENT, THE GAP AROUND THE CARBURETOR AND FLANG WAS SEALED WITH A SILICONE SEALER AND THE ENGINE RAN SMOOTHLY DURING A TEST RUN.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 860 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 860 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 7, 1989; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Mosler MMCB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mosler Motors,Inc.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 2,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from WSO, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.