NTSB Identification: ERA13LA072
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, December 01, 2012 in Carthage, NC
Aircraft: HANSEN DAVID DANIEL RV-4, registration: N416DH
Injuries: 2 Serious.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On December 1, 2012, about 1030 eastern standard time, an experimental amateur-built RV-4, N416DH, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during a forced landing following a partial loss of engine power near McConnell Airfield (5NC3), Carthage, North Carolina. The commercial pilot and the airline transport pilot were seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which originated from Long Island Airport (NC26), Long Island, North Carolina, and was destined for Rowan County Airport (RUQ), Salisbury, North Carolina. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

The commercial pilot, seated in the front seat of the airplane, and the airline transport pilot, seated in the rear seat, planned to fly around the local area, and had anticipated stopping at several airports throughout the day. After performing a preflight inspection, the pilots filled the airplane’s fuel tanks and departed from Lake Norman Airpark (14A), Mooresville, North Carolina. They then proceeded uneventfully to NC26, where after a brief stop, they departed on the accident flight.

About 5 minutes after departing, and while flying at an altitude of about 3,000 feet msl, the airplane’s engine began losing power over a period of about 15 seconds, and continued to run roughly at a very low power output. The front seat pilot activated the carburetor heat, richened the mixture, activated the fuel boost pump, ensured that the primer was locked in place, and switched from the right to left fuel tank. The rear seat pilot then took control of the airplane and turned towards 5NC3, which was nearby.

Upon arriving over the airport, the rear seat pilot circled overhead in order to lose altitude before turning onto the final approach to the runway and asking the front seat pilot to set the flaps to 30 degrees. Shortly before reaching the runway threshold, the rear seat pilot heard a loud “bang,” and realized that the flaps had retracted from the 30 to the 10-degree position. The front seat pilot was unable to reposition the flaps and the airplane accelerated. Seeing persons and vehicles near the departure end of the runway, the rear seat pilot elected to abort the landing, and attempted to land in a farm field to the south of the runway. The airplane subsequently touched down hard, collapsing the landing gear, before coming to rest in a stand of trees, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings.

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