Amateur-built AVID FLYER B accident near Somerset, Pennsylvania, April 30, 2011
On April 30, 2011 at about 5:45 pm local time, a amateur-built AVID FLYER B, registered N145HF, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Somerset, Pennsylvania (Somerset County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to hold full power for takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 2011 · about 5:45 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Somerset, Pennsylvania · Somerset County Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AVID FLYER B
- Registration
- N145HF · registry record · serial 296
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he conducted a preflight inspection and engine run up, and no anomalies were noted. At 65 feet above ground level on the initial climb, the engine experienced a loss of engine power. He lowered the nose and performed a forced landing, but the airplane touched down hard which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane. He said that the accident could have been prevented if he had tightened the throttle friction which accidentally rolled the power back to the idle position during the initial climb.
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
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › (general) › (general) › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine controls › Power lever › Incorrect use/operation other cases naming the engine
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 145 hours in all; 135 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 27, 2010
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 250 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 19, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 764 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2G9 Somerset PA at 5:45 pm
- Destination: 2G9 Somerset PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 2,695 ft by 204 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from KJST, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 28, 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 | Record of Conversation | 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
- N145HF on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Rotax 582 62 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Somerset County · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Pennsylvania 1,836 since 1982 · 235 in the last ten years
- Pennsylvania 6,188 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA11CA279.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.