Amateur-built Hummel Bird accident near North Baltimore, Ohio, July 31, 2003
On July 31, 2003 at about 11:55 pm local time, a amateur-built Hummel Bird, registered N7075Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near North Baltimore, Ohio. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, and the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall during an emergency landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 2003 · about 11:55 pm local time
- Place
- North Baltimore, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Hummel Bird
- Registration
- N7075Y · no longer on the register · serial 6200
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had purchased the airplane from a previous owner, and performed some modifications, which included installing "one-half of a Volkswagen automobile engine." The accident flight was pilot's first flight in the airplane. After the pilot departed his private airstrip, witnesses observed the airplane about 100 feet above the ground, and heard a fluctuation in engine power. The airplane subsequently impacted a field about 1 mile east of the airstrip. The airplane impacted in a flat attitude, with no horizontal movement. There was no indication of engine power at the accident site, and the fuel tank had been compromised during the impact.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 530 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE North Baltimore OH at 11:50 pm
- Destination: NONE
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from FDY, 10 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.
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.