Amateur-built SNGL SEAT HAWK ARROW accident near Carthage, North Carolina, June 20, 2011
On June 20, 2011 at about 2:00 pm local time, a amateur-built SNGL SEAT HAWK ARROW, registered N4209F, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern base) near Carthage, North Carolina (Gilliam Mcconnell 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 due to the pilot’s improper installation of the engine’s No. 1 cylinder spark plugs.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 20, 2011 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Carthage, North Carolina · Gilliam Mcconnell · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SNGL SEAT HAWK ARROW
- Registration
- N4209F · registry record · serial H-SSA-899-R503-TRI
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, during the turn from the base leg to final approach, the engine experienced a partial loss of power. He performed a forced landing into some small trees because he knew he could not glide the airplane to the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wing spars. A postaccident examination revealed that a spark plug was backed out of the No. 1 cylinder and was suspended from the electrode wire. The pilot reported that he had changed the engine spark plugs the day before the accident and that he may have cross-threaded one of them.
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
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Loss of engine power (partial) during approach (VFR pattern base) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR pattern final)
The NTSB's findings
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Repair › Owner/builder
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Ignition system › Spark plugs/igniters › Failure
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Ignition system › Spark plugs/igniters › Incorrect service/maintenance
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 38 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 7 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 195 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 13, 2011; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 625 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5NC3 Carthage NC at 2:00 pm
- Destination: 5NC3 Carthage NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,500 ft by 36 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 2:35 pm from KSOP, 8 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.