- Date
- July 17, 2025, 10:22 local (15:22 UTC)
- Place
- Blaine, MN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N237FCZenith Stol CH701
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20250717010139A
- Case key
- 200565
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while landing with a crosswind.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported the accident occurred while landing following the Phase 1 test flight. During the landing roll, with the nosewheel still off the runway, the airplane suddenly pitched down and veered left. The pilot attempted to regain directional control with a right rudder pedal input, but the airplane continued to veer left and departed off the side of the runway into the grass where the nose landing gear collapsed and the right wing struck the ground. The fuselage and right wing sustained substantial damage during the runway excursion. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing the airplane on runway 27 with wind from 320° at 4 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N237FC
- Reported as
- Zenith Stol CH701 (NO SERIES EXISTS)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 7-5255
- Built
- 2023
- Airframe hours
- 15.4
- Engine
- Raven ReDrives 1300SVS, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Registered owner
- 237th Aero Squadron Flying Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · August 28, 2024
- Departed
- ANE · Blaine, MN
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- ANE · Anoka County/Blaine (Janes FLD) Airport, runway 27, 5,000 × 100 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 73
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- July 10, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 20,234 total · 15.4 in this make and model · 13,673 as pilot in command · 9.5 in the last 90 days · 7.6 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Other flight crew
- Age
- 75
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- December 12, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 378 total · 0 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.15 inHg
- Observed at
- KANE
- METAR
- KANE 171549Z 32004KT 10SM CLR 20/11 A3015
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 5, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.