# NTSB SEA07LA088: Johnson Zodiac CH601, N601J, Arlington, WA, April 1, 2007 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: March 31, 2007, 19:05 local (Apr 1, 2007, 02:05 UTC) - Place: Arlington, WA - Coordinates: 48.190277, -122.191108 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=48.1903&lon=-122.1911&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 25, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Seattle FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 65516 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=SEA07LA088 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/65516/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA07LA088 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat when the engine lost power while being operated at a reduced power setting. Factors include carburetor icing condition, the pilot's failure to acquire the temperature/dew point information, and soft terrain in the field where the aircraft touched down. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, maneuvering - carburetor heat - not used, pilot in command (cause) - in-flight planning/decision - information insufficient, pilot in command (contributing factor) - weather condition - carburetor icing conditions (contributing factor) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - Nose over, emergency landing - terrain condition - soft (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot was in the process of aligning the aircraft to enter the downwind for landing when he decided that there were too many aircraft in the pattern and that he would maneuver to the west of the field until the number of aircraft practicing landings was reduced. As he turned away from the airport, he reduced his power to about 1,850 to 1,950 rpm (about 1,500 rpm below normal cruise), and then began to loiter to the west of the traffic pattern. Soon thereafter the aircraft's engine quit, and the pilot began looking for a place to make a forced landing. During the landing sequence, the pilot had to maneuver over some power lines, and just after he did so, the aircraft touched down on some soft terrain and flipped over onto its back. The pilot did not apply carburetor heat when the engine lost power, and because he had not listened to the Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS), he was unaware that at the time of the power loss there was only a one degree difference between the temperature and the dew point. According to the DOT/FAA/CT-82/44 Carburetor Icing Probability Chart, the pilot was operating in ambient conditions where serious carburetor icing could be expected at both glide and cruise power. ## Factual narrative On March 31, 2007, approximately 1905 Pacific daylight time, an experimental Johnson Zodiac CH601, N601J, nosed over during a power-off forced landing in a field near Arlington, Washington. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, but the aircraft, which is owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The local 14 CFR Part 91 personal pleasure flight, which departed Arlington Municipal Airport about 50 minutes earlier, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed. There was no report of an ELT activation. According to the pilot, who failed to submit an NTSB Form 6120.1/2, he was in the process of aligning the aircraft to enter the downwind at Arlington Airport when he decided that there were too many aircraft in the pattern and that he would maneuver to the west of the field until the number of aircraft practicing landings was reduced. As he turned away from the airport, he reduced his power to about 1,850 to 1,950 rpm (about 1,500 rpm below normal cruise), and then began to loiter to the west of the traffic pattern. Soon thereafter the aircraft's engine quit, and the pilot began looking for a place to make a forced landing. During the landing sequence, the pilot had to maneuver over some power lines, and just after he did so, the aircraft touched down on some soft terrain and flipped over onto its back. In a post accident interview, the pilot said that he did not apply carburetor heat when the engine lost power, and because he had not listened to the on-field Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS), he was unaware that at the time of the power loss there was only a one degree difference between the temperature and the dew point (five degrees Celsius/four degrees Celsius). According to the DOT/FAA/CT-82/44 Carburetor Icing Probability Chart, the pilot was operating in ambient conditions where serious carburetor icing could be expected at both glide and cruise power. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N601J](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N601J-2016-08-15), registration cancelled 2016-08-15, S/N 6-1125, built 1995 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Johnson Zodiac CH601 - Registry model: [Johnson Stephen ZODIAC CH601HD](https://openairdocs.org/model/johnson-stephen-zodiac-ch601hd) (registry code 05626Z9) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-200 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (registry code 17020, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: 6-1125 - Engines: Continental O-200 100 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Steven D MacNeill - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Departed: KAWO, Arlington, WA - Destination: KAWO - Airport: Arlington Municipal ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 48; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; seat: left; flight hours: 300 total, 15 in the last 90 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 5,000 ft overcast - Temperature: 41 °F, dew point 39 °F - Altimeter: 30.06 inHg - Observed at: KAWO, 2 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 20070331005769A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070331005769A), Mar 31, 2007: Amtr CH601HD, Arlington, WA, Substantial damage. (-23) The pilot stated he turned away from the airport due to a large # of aircraft in the pattern. The engine stopped and he was making a landing in a field.… 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.