# NTSB CEN20LA397: Zenith CH 750, N4744M, Montgomery City, MO, September 16, 2020 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: September 16, 2020, 12:53 local (17:53 UTC) - Place: Montgomery City, MO - Coordinates: 38.979721, -91.61 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.9797&lon=-91.6100&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Approach: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: Flight Standards District Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 101985 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN20LA397 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/101985/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=101985 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20LA397 ## Probable cause The pilot’s inadequate fuel management and flight planning, which led to a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and a forced landing into rough terrain. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Planning/preparation: fuel planning](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Garrett Christopher R & Dobbs STOL CH 750 ZENITH, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md?model=05635LA), [All aircraft, 719 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md) - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid level (probable cause); cases with it: [Garrett Christopher R & Dobbs STOL CH 750 ZENITH, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=05635LA), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Approach: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192) (defining event); cases with it: [Garrett Christopher R & Dobbs STOL CH 750 ZENITH, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md?model=05635LA), [All aircraft, 804 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md) ## Analysis According to the pilot, the airplane was fueled with 22-23 gallons of fuel before he departed, and the airplane’s fuel consumption rate was about 6 gallons of fuel per hour. He had been airborne about 4 hours and was approaching his destination when the engine sputtered and lost total power. The pilot made a forced landing into rough terrain and the airplane nosed over. Examination of the airplane revealed minimal fuel was onboard, with no leaks of the fuel system. No preimpact anomalies were observed during examination of the engine. The pilot’s preflight planning notes indicated he considered a fuel stop prior to the destination. After the accident, the pilot stated that the onboard fuel quantity indicating system was unreliable and a fuel stop may have been warranted. The pilot’s decision to proceed to the destination without a fuel stop likely resulted in a total loss of engine power due to exhaustion of usable fuel. ## Factual narrative On September 16, 2020, about 1253 central daylight time, an amateur-built Zenith CH 750 airplane, N4744M, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Montgomery City, Missouri. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot planned the flight from Kyle-Oakley Field Airport (CEY) Murray, Kentucky to Mexico Memorial Airport, Mexico (MYJ), Missouri. The pilot was making the first long cross-country flight in the airplane and estimated 22-23 gallons of fuel were onboard, with an expected fuel consumption rate of about 6 gallons per hour. After departing CEY about 0958, the engine sputtered and lost total power while approaching MYJ about 1251. The pilot made a forced landing into a bean field and the airplane nosed over, which damaged both wings and tail. Examination of the airplane at the accident site the next day revealed all fuel lines were intact and undamaged, with no smell of fuel noticed. While the airplane was inverted, the right fuel tank cap was removed, and no fuel was observed. During recovery of the airplane four days after the accident, minimal fuel was noticed in the fuel lines and none of the soybean crops near the airplane were blighted. At the recovery location, about ¼ cup of fuel was drained from the fuel strainer, with no indication of water. Both fuel tanks were refilled and held about 12 gallons in each tank, which was consistent with the flight manual. The fuel was drained, with no contamination noticed. No preimpact anomalies were observed during examination of the engine. Review of the pilot’s handwritten flight notes revealed he considered a fuel stop between CEY and MYJ. Following the flight, the pilot stated the onboard fuel quantity indicating system was unreliable and that a fuel stop may have been warranted. Additionally, a new carburetor was installed about four months prior to the accident and the fuel consumption rate had not been verified with the new carburetor installed. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4744M](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4744M), registered now, S/N 75-8874, built 2015 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: ZENITH CH 750 - Registry model: [Garrett Christopher R & Dobbs STOL CH 750 ZENITH](https://openairdocs.org/model/garrett-christopher-r-dobbs-stol-ch-750-zenith) (registry code 05635LA) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-200-A](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-a) (registry code 17191, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: 75-8874 - Year built: 2017 - Airframe hours: 84 - Engines: Continental O-200 100 hp reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Condition, February 7, 2020, 34 hours before - Departed: CEY, Murray, KY - Destination: MYJ, Mexico, MO - Equipment: Onboard weather, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display, Handheld GPS ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 73; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: basicmed, with waivers/limitations; last flight review November 25, 2019; seat: left; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 836 total, 69 in this make and model, 747 as pilot in command, 10 in the last 90 days, 7 in the last 30 days, 5 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 300° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 79 °F, dew point 63 °F - Altimeter: 30.09 inHg - Observed at: KCOU, 30 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20200916013109A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200916013109A), Sep 16, 2020: Garrett Christopher R & Dobbs STOL CH 750 ZENITH, Montgomery City, MO, Substantial damage. Engine stopped making power. The aircraft landed in a bean field. Once the nose wheel made contact with the ground, the aircraft flipped upside down (nosed… ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 3, 2022, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=101985. 2.9 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 9 pages, 1.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11786443&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=6120%20--_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Pilot's flight notes (item 2, PDF, 1 page, 126 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13954799&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Pilot%27s%20Flight%20Notes-Rel.pdf - Photos of airplane at accident site (item 3, PDF, 2 pages, 942 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11786737&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photos-Rel.pdf - Examination by mechanic (item 4, PDF, 4 pages, 236 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11786018&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Examination%20by%20Mechanic_Redacted-Rel.pdf 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.