Amateur-built Hobo accident near Fletcher, North Carolina, August 10, 2010
On August 10, 2010 at about 3:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Hobo, registered N884WH, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Fletcher, North Carolina (Cane Creek Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to select an adequate forced landing site.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 2010 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fletcher, North Carolina · Cane Creek Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Hobo
- Registration
- N884WH · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he departed the airport and that the airplane began losing altitude approximately 100 yards past the end of the runway. He stated that the engine tachometer read 2,500 rpm, which was 200 rpm lower than the takeoff rpm specified by the manufacturer, and that the airplane would not climb. The pilot applied carburetor heat and flew into trees and bushes approximately one-quarter mile from the end of the runway. The airplane then nosed over and came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot covered the airplane with a camouflage tarp, cut the registration numbers out of the fuselage, and did not report the accident to authorities. The wreckage was discovered by the property owner and reported to local authorities five days after the accident. The airplane came to rest in a heavily wooded area among agricultural fields, several of which may have served as more suitable forced landing sites. After the accident, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector opened the engine cowling and observed no anomalies, and the gascolator bowl revealed no evidence of fuel contamination; however, no further examination of the engine was performed.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during initial climb
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Power plant › (general) › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,181 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 2,141 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 24, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 81 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 6, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 1,850 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4NC6 Fletcher NC at 3:00 pm
- Destination: 4NC6 Fletcher NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 04, 2,680 ft by 160 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from AVL, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.