Amateur-built 601HDS accident near Farmington, Delaware, November 4, 2007
On November 4, 2007 at about 3:11 pm local time, a amateur-built 601HDS, registered N27S, was destroyed in an accident near Farmington, Delaware (Chorman Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The reason for this occurrence could not be determined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 4, 2007 · about 3:11 pm local time
- Place
- Farmington, Delaware · Chorman Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 601HDS
- Registration
- N27S · no longer on the register · serial 63638
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses described the engine sound during the takeoff roll and initial climb as "normal," "strong," and continuous with no interruption. The takeoff roll was "much longer than usual" and the airplane used about two thirds of the 3,588 feet of paved runway before it began a very shallow climb. The airplane drifted right of the runway centerline and flew around the east side of a grove of trees off the departure end. The airplane then banked to its left "in an apparent attempt to return to the airport," turned to the west, disappeared from view behind the trees, and then reappeared above the trees in a steep left bank. According to one witness, "[The airplane] popped up in a very steep left bank (both wings were vertical like a knife edge)." The airplane then disappeared from view, the sounds of impact were heard, and a large smoke plume appeared. No usable information could be gathered from the cockpit, nor could control continuity be established due to extensive fire damage. Examination of aerial photographs revealed that the airport and the grove of trees were surrounded by flat, open, cultivated fields suitable for forced landing.
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: 250 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 100 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, February 28, 2007; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Chevrolet (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: D74 Farmington DE at 3:10 pm
- Destination: W41 Crisfield MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 3,588 ft by 37 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from GED, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.