# Incident 20121001022379I: Richardson Calvin R ZENITH 601 XL, Chico, CA, October 1, 2012

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 1, 2012, 10:56 local time
- Place: Chico, CA
- Airport: Chico Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.7954° N, 121.8584° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at CHICO RGNL (CIC), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.7954&lon=-121.8584&mi=10
- Aircraft: N224XP, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N224XP) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Richardson Calvin R ZENITH 601 XL (registry code 05631Z7, https://openairdocs.org/model/richardson-calvin-r-zenith-601-xl) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-235 series (registry code 41505, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: RICHARDSON CALVIN R ZENITH 601 XL
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-235 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20121001022379I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

A NARRATIVE STATEMENT FROM PILOT^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.ON THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 1, 2012 AT APPROXIMATELY 0845 I TOOK OFF FROM CHICO AIRPORT REQUESTING A RIGHT HAND DEPARTURE.  THE AIRPLANE WAS HANDLING WELL AS USUAL MY OIL PRESSURE WAS STEADY AT 76 LBS. OIL TEMPS WERE NORMAL CHT,S AGAIN ALL NORMAL.  I ASCENDED TO 5000 FT. LEVELED OFF CHECKED CHT'S 335 TO 340 OIL TEMP AT 196 DEGREES AND OIL PRESSURE AT 77 LBS.  I AGAIN STARTED TO SLOW CLIMB OF 380 FT. PER MINUTE AGAIN NOTING ALL WAS NORMAL ENGINE RUNNING SMOOTH IT WAS A GREAT MORNING TO FLY!  I AGAIN LEVELED OFF AT 6500 FT. MSL AND CONTINUED ON A NORTH BOUND HEADING.  NOTING ALL PRESSURES AND TEMPS WERE NORMAL I STARTED TO MAKE A SLOW LEFT TURN TO STAY IN A 50 MILE RADIUS FROM CHICO AIRPORT WHEN I GOT A RED WARNING LIGHT ON THE PANEL.  A QUICK SCAN SHOWED 0 OIL PRESSURE ALL THE OTHER TEMPS WERE NORMAL TIGHTENED MY TURN TO HEAD BACK TO CHICO I RADIOED MY FRIEND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WHO WAS FLYING ALONGSIDE ME OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING WE THOUGHT THAT IT WAS A FAULTY SENDING UNIT OR BAD WIRE DUE TO ALL THE TEMPS REMAINED NORMAL AS WE WERE HEADING TO CHICO I NOTED I WAS 23.5 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT.  AGAIN ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND I WERE SURE I WAS SEEING A FALSE READING THEN I NOTICED MY OIL TEMP WERE FALLING OFF FROM 195 TO 185 AND FALLING SO NOW I KNOW SOMETHING HAS FAILED PULLING THE ENGINE TO IDLE AND SETTING UP FOR MY BEST GLIDE AND PICKING A TARGET FOR DEER CREEK STRIP.  THAT'S WHEN THE PROP STOPPED I INFORMED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ I WAS DEAD STICK AND HEADING FOR THE "VINA MAT" I TRIED TO RESTART THE ENGINE NO LUCK SHE WAS FROZEN OK NOW THE ONLY OPTION I HAVE IS TO MAKE THE MAT.  ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STAYED ON FREQUENCY WITH ME AS I WAS GLIDING TO MY TARGET I WAS CALLING OUT TO HIM MY DECENT I TOLD HIM THIS WILL BE TIGHT BUT I THINK I CAN MAKE IT.  AS I WAS NEAR THE GROUND ALL I HAVE TO DO IS MAKE IT OVER THIS FENCE AND I'M DOWN SAFELY.  THE NOSE WHEEL MADE IT OVER THE FENCE HOWEVER THE MAIN GEAR CAUGHT THE TOP WIRES PULLING ME TO THE GROUND AT THIS TIME MY AIRSPEED HAD BLEED OFF TO AROUND 35 MPH.  THE PLANE SAW SOME NOSE WHEEL AND WING TIP DAMAGE BROKEN WHEEL PANTS AND TO SAY THE LEAST A BROKEN HEART ON MY PART HOWEVER I WAS WAS NOT PHYSICALLY HURT JUST SADDENED BY WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED.IN THE MEANTIME ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS IN TOUCH WITH THE CHICO TOWER AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED AND I WAS OUT OF THE PLANE AND GIVING HIM THE OKAY SIGN.  WELL THAT IS ABOUT IT MINOR DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE AND I AM NOT INJURED.  I WILL WAIT FOR A WHILE TO MAKE A DECISION ON THE FATE OF THE AIRPLANE AT THIS POINT IN TIME I AM THINKING OF TURNING IN THE N NUMBERS AND PARTING THE PLANE OUT.  THE ENGINE IS HISTORY AND I DON'T THINK I CAN AFFORD TO REPLACE IT.^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ OF N224XP

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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