Zenair STOL CH 701 N43AH

Summary

On 20 November 2025 at about 21:00 local time, a Zenair STOL CH 701 registered N43AH was involved in an accident near Shady Cove, Oregon, United States. One person was 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

20 November 2025 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Shady Cove, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Shady Cove Airpark (OG31)

Coordinates

42.6087, -122.8294

Aircraft

Zenair STOL CH 701

Registration

N43AH

Category

Airplane

Year built

1998

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR26LA049

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s improper throttle input during an approach, which resulted in a rapid descent, hard landing and runway excursion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was performing a test flight in his experimental amateur-built airplane to determine the appropriate power setting for approach. During an approach to land after 5 consecutive go-arounds, he reduced all engine power, which resulted in a rapid descent and hard landing. The airplane subsequently departed the left side of the dirt strip and nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the empennage, wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.