Howard Aircraft Corp. WEEDHOPPER accident near Fordsville, Kentucky, October 22, 2000
On October 22, 2000 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Howard Aircraft Corp. WEEDHOPPER, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fordsville, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An engine failure for undetermined reasons and the pilot's low altitude flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 22, 2000 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fordsville, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Howard Aircraft Corp. WEEDHOPPER, amateur-built
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The uncertificated airplane departed from a private grass strip located at the uncertificated pilot's home. The pilot flew east, down a valley, at an engine power setting of about 5,600 rpm. The engine power then decreased to 2,700 rpm, and the airspeed began to decrease. The pilot lowered the nose after he realized that he had stalled the airplane. As the airplane descended, about 50-60 feet above the ground, the engine power increased to about 5,000 rpm. The airplane began to climb, but the engine power decreased again. The pilot lowered the nose and performed a forced landing to a road. Examination of the engine revealed no abnormalities. When asked if the engine ever lost total power, the pilot replied that it quit just prior to the impact with the ground. The engine manufacturer operating manual indicated that the engine was uncertified, and stated in part, 'This engine, by its design, is subject to sudden stoppage! ...Never fly the aircraft equipped with this engine at locations, airspeeds, altitudes, or other circumstances from which a successful no-power landing cannot be made, after sudden engine stoppage.'
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
- Flight time: 200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 650 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE KY at 8:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 2 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from OWB, 20 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 UNREG 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.