Zenith CH750 N99HX

Summary

On 2 October 2021 at about 23:46 local time, a Zenith CH750 registered N99HX was involved in an accident near Oregon City, Oregon, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 October 2021 at 23:46

Classification

Accident

Location

Oregon City, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Fairways (OG20)

Coordinates

45.3118, -122.5522

Aircraft

Zenith CH750

Registration

N99HX

Category

Airplane

Year built

2016

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22LA002

1 person had minor injuries.

The total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, following an uneventful local flight, as he turned onto final approach to land, the passenger told him that she smelled something burning, and shortly after the pilot did as well. The pilot stated that, a few moments later, the sound of the engine changed for about 5 seconds, followed by a total loss of engine power. The pilot realized he was unable to make it to the airport so he initiated an off-airport landing. During the landing sequence, the airplane impacted trees and terrain before it nosed over and came to rest inverted. The pilot reported that before the flight, he refueled the left wing fuel tank with 4 gallons of automotive fuel, to a level of fuel between 7 and 10 gallons, and had noted the right wing contained 2 to 4 gallons of fuel. Additionally, he reported that he did not visually verify the fuel quantity in the right fuel tank, however, he did “dip” the left fuel tank. The pilot reported that the right fuel tank was empty after the accident and the left fuel tank was leaking “slightly.” Postaccident examination of the recovered airplane revealed the fuel valves between the header tank and the wings were in the “off” position, and the fuel valve from the header tank to the electronic fuel pump was in the “on” position. The header fuel tank was empty. About a teaspoon of fuel was removed from the mechanical fuel pump. No fuel was observed within either carburetor float bowl. A fuel source was attached to the engine inlet fuel pump, and the engine was successfully run. Each main fuel tank can hold a maximum of 24 gallons of fuel of which 22 gallons are usable. No evidence of any preexisting mechanical malfunctions were observed with the recovered engine or airframe.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.