Amateur-built SONEX accident near Morganton, North Carolina, November 15, 2015
On November 15, 2015 at about 7:45 pm local time, a 2005 amateur-built SONEX, registered N7035Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Morganton, North Carolina (Foothills Regional 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/owner’s inadequate maintenance inspection following a propeller strike, which resulted in the subsequent in-flight propeller separation due to propagation of fatigue cracks in the crankshaft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 15, 2015 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Morganton, North Carolina · Foothills Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SONEX NO SERIES, built 2005
- Registration
- N7035Z · no longer on the register · serial 605
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot, who was also the owner/builder of the experimental, amateur-built airplane, reported that, during initial climb for the local flight, about 3,000 ft mean sea level, the propeller separated from the airplane and fell to the ground. The pilot/owner turned the airplane toward an airport that had a longer runway than the departure airport and attempted to glide the airplane to the runway. However, the airplane did not have sufficient altitude, and it subsequently impacted trees about 600 ft short of the runway. Photographs of the crankshaft revealed that it fractured just aft of the propeller mounting hub/flange. The fracture surfaces on the hub exhibited features consistent with fatigue crack propagation through the wall thickness of the crankshaft and the subsequent overstress fracture of the remaining portion of the crankshaft. Review of maintenance records revealed that the airplane had sustained a propeller strike about 7 years before the accident. After that event, the pilot/owner, who performed his own maintenance, replaced the propeller; however, he did not disassemble the engine or otherwise document any inspection or replacement of the crankshaft in the airplane's maintenance records.
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
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during initial climb defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during initial climb
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng front section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Scheduled/routine inspection › Owner/builder
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 339 hours in all; 269 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 279 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 25, 2014
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 279 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 15, 2015; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Larry Woodrow Aerovee2002 (piston); 279 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NC27 Lenoir NC at 7:40 pm
- Destination: NC27 Lenoir NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 5,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.40 inHg
- Observation at 7:30 pm from MRN, 1 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
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.