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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 2010 · about 3:00 pm local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Fletcher, North Carolina · Cane Creek Airport · cases near this 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 other cases naming the engine
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
10 documents, released by the NTSB on November 8, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Pilot Interview Summary | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record - Pilot Interview | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Engine Operator's Manual Excerpt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 1 (Courtesy Skyland Fire Department) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 2 (Courtesy FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photo 3 (Courtesy FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Photo 4 - Overview of Accident Site | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Weather Reports and Records - Avl Metars | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Carburetor Icing Probability Chart | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N884WH on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Continental O-300 6,625 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in North Carolina 1,762 since 1982 · 304 in the last ten years
- North Carolina 7,126 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA10LA424.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.