- Date
- April 3, 1990, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Raymond, WI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N360JNJames A Nelson ZEN AIR CH701
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 21, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900403007459A
- Case key
- 14476
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
Manufacturer's inadequate design of the fuel drain. Contributing was the pilot-in-command's disregarding the fuel supply which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot of the experimental, home built aircraft was conducting a round-robin cross country flight. On the last leg of the flight the engine suffered a total power loss and a forced landing was made on soft terrain. On touchdown the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no injuries. Subsequent investigation revealed that the fuel drain was unable to restrain the fuel and a quanity of the fuel had leaked out during flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N360JN
- Reported as
- James A Nelson ZEN AIR CH701 (ZEN AIR CH)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 7-1360
- Airframe hours
- 17
- Engine
- Rotax 532, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James A. Nelson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 30, 1990 · 17 hours before
- Departed
- RAC · Racine, WI
- Destination
- RAC
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 192 total · 14 in this make and model · 132 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MKE, 18 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.