# Accident 20231229021099A: Myers Winfred STOL CH 701, Marienville, PA, December 29, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 29, 2023, 21:56 local time
- Place: Marienville, PA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.4536° N, 79.0697° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.4536&lon=-79.0697&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4209W, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4209W) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Myers Winfred STOL CH 701 (registry code 05618TO, https://openairdocs.org/model/myers-winfred-stol-ch-701) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotax 912ULS series (registry code 55572, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-912uls-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MYERS WINFRED STOL CH 701
- Reported engine: ROTAX 912ULS SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 5,600 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA24FA077](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA24FA077) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20231229021099A

## Narrative

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

ON 12/29/2023 THE AIRCRAFT WITH ONE OCCUPANT ON BOARD DEPARTED KERI AT 2058 EST WITH THE INTENDED DESTINATION OF KJST.  THE PILOT AND SOLE OCCUPANT WAS A PRIVATE PILOT NON-INSTRUMENT RATED WITH 5300HRS LISTED AT HIS LAST MEDICAL APPLICATION ON 01/31/2023.

THE WEATHER AT THE TIME OF DEPARTURE AT KERI WAS REPORTED AS 0151Z 10SM BKN017 OVC042 03/M01 A2972.  THE WEATHER AT THE PROPOSED DESTINATION OF KJST AT THE TIME OF DEPARTURE WAS REPORTED AS 0154Z 10SM OVC013 00/M03 A2969. THE WEATHER REPORTED AT THE NEAREST AIRPORTS OF THE CRASH SITE:  KFKL 0256Z 10SM OVC008 A2971 RMK A02 RAB23E38      KDUJ 0253Z 4SM BR OVC008 01/M01 A2968 RMK A02 CIG 006V011.

THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED KERI AND TURNED TO A NORTHEAST HEADING. THE AIRCRAFT TURNED A SOUTHWEST HEADING AND BACK TO A NORTHEAST HEADING BEFORE EVENTUALLY TURNING BACK TO A SOUTHEAST HEADING.  THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED A CLIMBING LEFT TURN REACHING AN ALTITUDE OF 3800FT MSL.   THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED THE LEFT TURN AND ENTERED A DESCENDING, DECREASING RADIUS LEFT-HAND TURN.  THE AIRCRAFT REACHED A DESCENT RATE, IN THE LEFT-HAND TURN, OF 11000FPM BEFORE COMING TO A REST IN THE ALLEGHENY NATIONAL FOREST BUZZARD SWAMP AREA NEAR MARIENVILLE PA.  THE TIME WAS NOTED AT 2156EST.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS AIRBORNE FOR 58 MINUTES.

THE FBO AT KERI REPORTED THAT THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT WAS FUELED WITH 24.5 GALLONS OF 100LL APPROXIMATELY AT 1730 EST. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A POST-CRASH FIRE BUT THERE WAS A STRONG ODOR OF FUEL.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA24FA077](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA24FA077), Dec 30, 2023: Zenith Stol CH701 (N4209W), Marienville, PA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s decision to continue visual flight into deteriorating visibility conditions at night, which resulted in spatial disorientation and subsequent descent that continued to ground contact.

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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