- Date
- November 20, 2025, 13:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Shady Cove, OR
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N43AHZenair Stol CH 701
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20251120017509A
- Case key
- 202039
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 improper throttle input during an approach, which resulted in a rapid descent, hard landing and runway excursion.
Findings · 2
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 that he was performing a test flight in his experimental amateur-built airplane to determine the appropriate power setting for approach. During an approach to land after 5 consecutive go-arounds, he reduced all engine power, which resulted in a rapid descent and hard landing. The airplane subsequently departed the left side of the dirt strip and nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the empennage, wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N43AH
- Reported as
- Zenair Stol CH 701
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 7-8037
- Built
- 1998
- Airframe hours
- 219
- Engine
- Rotax 912 UL, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 3, 2025
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- OG31 · Shady Cove Airpark, runway 36, 2,600 × 25 ft, gravel
- Equipment
- None
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
- 76
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- June 7, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 148.4 total · 2 in this make and model · 70 as pilot in command · 0 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1.5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- MFR, 14 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KMFR 202053Z 29003KT 10SM OVC047 09/04 A3005 RMK AO2 SLP177 T00940044 58005 $
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 12, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.4 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.