Amateur-built HORNET accident near Camp Verde, Arizona, June 28, 2010
On June 28, 2010 at about 3:17 pm local time, a amateur-built HORNET, registered N707BD, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Camp Verde, Arizona. 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
The in-flight separation of the exhaust clamps for an undetermined reason, which resulted in the exhaust system striking the wooden propeller.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 28, 2010 · about 3:17 pm local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Camp Verde, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- 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 pilot reported that during cruise flight, the engine made a sound akin to a “buzz saw” that required him to initiate a forced landing to a nearby field. During the landing roll the nosewheel separated and the pusher-type engine separated from the mount assembly, impacting into the cockpit area. The pilot stated that a postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the exhaust clamps had separated from the support structure while in-flight. A section of the exhaust system then struck the wooden propeller blades. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed the both wooden propeller blades had been sheared approximately six inches outboard of the blade root. Seven of the eight engine mount bolts were sheared at the adapter plate and the eighth bolt was missing. The separated exhaust clamps were not recovered for examination.
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
- Part(s) separation from AC during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during enroute (cruise)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine exhaust › (general) › Failure other cases naming the engine
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,500 hours in all; 480 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 5,000 as pilot in command; 800 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 7, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 480 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 25, 2010; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Hirth 3203 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Camp Verde AZ at 2:30 pm
- Destination: Camp Verde AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on October 29, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N707BD the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N707BD on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Hirth 3203 38 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 468 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,431 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N707BD 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR10LA317.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.