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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 28, 2010 · about 3:17 pm local time
- 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
- 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
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.