Zenith STOL CH801 N801TP

Summary

On 12 October 2020 at about 21:18 local time, a Zenith STOL CH801 registered N801TP, operated by Gospel Ministries International Inc., was involved in an accident near Apison, Tennessee, 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

12 October 2020 at 21:18

Classification

Accident

Location

Apison, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Collegedale Municipal Airport (FGU)

Coordinates

35.0345, -85.0275

Aircraft

Zenith STOL CH801

Registration

N801TP

Category

Airplane

Year built

2004

Engines

1

Operator

Gospel Ministries International Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Collegedale → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21LA018

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, as a result of an incorrectly placarded fuel selector.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the accident flight was his first flight in the experimental amateur-built airplane, and it was the first flight after a condition inspection. After an uneventful takeoff, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power during the initial climb about 800 ft above ground level. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and subsequently performed a forced landing to a grassy clearing about 1 mile from the departure runway. During the rollout, the airplane impacted thick vegetation and trees, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the left fuel tank was empty, and the right fuel tank contained about 12 gallons. Additionally, the fuel selector placards for LEFT and RIGHT were mislabeled backwards. The pilot reported that prior to takeoff, there was about 15 gallons of fuel in the right fuel tank, and “only a couple of gallons” in the left fuel tank. As a result, he placed the fuel selector toward the sticker-type placard that stated RIGHT, although the fuel selector was pointed toward the left wing. According to the pilot, the most recent condition inspection did not involve any action that would have involved the fuel selector placards. Review of past maintenance records found several instances of fuel system maintenance; however, no entry described an action about placards at the fuel selector. Therefore, the investigation was unable to identify when the fuel tanks became incorrectly placarded.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.