Amateur-built Zenair CH-701 accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, July 9, 2006
On July 9, 2006 at about 10:55 pm local time, a amateur-built Zenair CH-701, registered N4233J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power for an undetermined reason during cruise flight, which resulted in an emergency descent into trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 2006 · about 10:55 pm local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Zenair CH-701
- Registration
- N4233J · registry record · serial 3957028
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The sport pilot was conducting a cross-country flight to a nearby airport to practice takeoffs and landings in an amateur built experimental airplane under Title 14, CFR Part 91. The pilot reported that the engine lost all power and the airplane descended into trees, receiving structural damage to its wings and fuselage. The pilot stated he was unaware of what precipitated the loss of engine power. The airplane was not examined by an NTSB investigator.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 170 hours in all; 20 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 145 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 361 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 1, 2005; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 LC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AK28 Chena Marina AK at 5:25 pm
- Destination: 95Z North Pole AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N4233J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.