Amateur-built HORNET accident near Camp Verde, Arizona, September 11, 2000
On September 11, 2000 at about 3:30 pm local time, a amateur-built HORNET, registered N707BD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Camp Verde, Arizona (Montezuma 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
Separation of the forward spark plug due to wear damage to the cylinder head threads. A factor in the accident was traffic on the highway and the pilot having to maneuver to avoid the traffic.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 11, 2000 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Camp Verde, Arizona · Montezuma Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built HORNET
- Registration
- N707BD · registry record · serial 707
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane lost power on takeoff and landed hard during the ensuing emergency landing on a highway median. Upon examination of the engine it was noted that the forward spark plug had separated from the associated cylinder head. The cylinder head threads showed evidence of wear and appeared flattened. The pilot indicated that new spark plugs had been installed prior to the last flight and torqued to the manufacturer's recommended 110-inch pounds of pressure. He also stated that the threads on the cylinder heads are constructed of aluminum and the threaded portions of the spark plug barrels are constructed of steel. No further mechanical anomalies were noted.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 164 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 4,900 as pilot in command; 800 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 164 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 10, 2000; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Hirth 2706 R06EST (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7E7 at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 145°F (63°C), dew point 109°F (43°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from PRC, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N707BD the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.