W H Hunnicutt HOBO N884WH

Summary

On 10 August 2010 at about 15:00 local time, a W H Hunnicutt HOBO registered N884WH, operated by Warren H. Hunnicutt, was involved in an accident near Fletcher, North Carolina, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 August 2010 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Fletcher, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Cane Creek Airport (4NC6)

Coordinates

35.4425, -82.4728

Aircraft

W H Hunnicutt HOBO

Registration

N884WH

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Warren H. Hunnicutt

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fletcher → Fletcher

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10LA424

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to select an adequate forced landing site.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he departed the airport and that the airplane began losing altitude approximately 100 yards past the end of the runway. He stated that the engine tachometer read 2,500 rpm, which was 200 rpm lower than the takeoff rpm specified by the manufacturer, and that the airplane would not climb. The pilot applied carburetor heat and flew into trees and bushes approximately one-quarter mile from the end of the runway. The airplane then nosed over and came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot covered the airplane with a camouflage tarp, cut the registration numbers out of the fuselage, and did not report the accident to authorities. The wreckage was discovered by the property owner and reported to local authorities five days after the accident. The airplane came to rest in a heavily wooded area among agricultural fields, several of which may have served as more suitable forced landing sites. After the accident, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector opened the engine cowling and observed no anomalies, and the gascolator bowl revealed no evidence of fuel contamination; however, no further examination of the engine was performed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.