Loehr Thomas H ZENITH STOL CH701 N144AC

Summary

On 22 March 2010 at about 23:54 local time, a Loehr Thomas H ZENITH STOL CH701 registered N144AC, operated by Wendt DAN L, was involved in an accident near Eldon, Missouri, 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

22 March 2010 at 23:54

Classification

Accident

Location

Eldon, Missouri, United States

Coordinates

38.3606, -92.5714

Aircraft

Loehr Thomas H ZENITH STOL CH701

Registration

N144AC

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Wendt DAN L

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Eldon → Eldon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10LA171

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine thrust during takeoff due to the failure of the engine-to-propeller drive belts as a result of improper belt tension. Contributing to the accident was the non-certificated pilot's improper preflight inspection.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after takeoff, at 300 feet above ground level, the engine "revved excessively and power was lost to the propeller." The pilot performed an off airport forced landing. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted terrain and sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage. Examination of the airplane revealed that both engine-to-propeller drive belts failed, which led to the reported engine overspeed and lack of propeller drive. A representative of the manufacturer stated that the belt failure during the accident was caused by loose belts or a lack of proper tension on the belts and that the belt tension should have been checked during a preflight inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.