Zenith 701 N701MG

Summary

On 9 September 2013 at about 21:00 local time, a Zenith 701 registered N701MG, operated by Whedbee Kenneth Mikel Trustee, was involved in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 September 2013 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Big Lake, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.4595, -150.0903

Aircraft

Zenith 701

Registration

N701MG

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Whedbee Kenneth Mikel Trustee

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Big Lake → Big Lake

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC13FA095

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering at a low altitude, which resulted in a stall and subsequent spin from which he could not recover.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed a private runway and subsequently crashed in an area of sparsely populated dead spruce trees. The airplane collided with the ground in a left-wing, nose-low attitude, and impact damage was consistent with a near-vertical descent, indicating that an aerodynamic stall occurred. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine and a test run of the engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Given the lack of mechanical deficiencies with the airplane and engine and the airplane damage, it is likely that the pilot inadvertently stalled the airplane at a low altitude and was unable to recover.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.