Amateur-built CHALLENGER II accident near Madisonville, Kentucky, August 10, 1995
On August 10, 1995 at about 2:00 pm local time, a amateur-built CHALLENGER II, registered N890JH, was destroyed in an accident near Madisonville, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an intermittent short of the ignition system, due to improper maintenance/modification of the engine, which resulted in partial loss of engine power; and failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and collision with the ground. A factor relating to the accident was: the pilot's lack of recent flight experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 1995 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Madisonville, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CHALLENGER II CHALLENGER
- Registration
- N890JH · no longer on the register · serial CH20690R0537
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported that they heard intermittent engine sounds and observed the airplane descending towards the ground at a steep angle. Postaccident examination revealed that it had impacted with little forward movement. No evidence of preimpact airframe anomaly was found. The accident flight was the first flight after the student pilot/owner/builder converted the engine to a dual ignition/spark plug system. Examination of the ignition system revealed that the wires going to the magnetic pickups were pinched between the housing and the crankcase mounting surface, and the wire insulation was broken. An FAA Inspector stated that the owner/builder had not followed the manufacturer's recommendation to file a bevel into the edge of the housing during the ignition system conversion. FAA records indicated that the owner/builder had approximately 30 hours total flight time, and relatives reported that he had not flown the accident airplane for about two years.
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: student
- Flight time: 30 hours in all; 30 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 3609434 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Nortonville KY
- Destination: M21 Greenville KY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.