Amateur-built STOL CH 801 accident near Royalton, Wisconsin, November 6, 2016
On November 6, 2016 at about 9:00 pm local time, a amateur-built STOL CH 801, registered N801KJ, was destroyed in an accident during approach (VFR pattern downwind) near Royalton, Wisconsin (Northport Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of control during approach for reasons that could not be determined due to postimpact fire damage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 6, 2016 · about 9:00 pm local time · cases in 2016
- Place
- Royalton, Wisconsin · Northport Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built STOL CH 801 NO SERIES
- Registration
- N801KJ · no longer on the register · serial 8-4899
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The purpose of the personal flight was to practice stalls in the homebuilt, experimental airplane. The private pilot reported that he practiced several stall maneuvers and that the airplane handled well. After executing a touch-and-go landing, the pilot took off and established the airplane on downwind, about 1,000 ft above ground level, to set up for a full flaps landing. He lowered the flaps and set the engine power to idle. The pilot then discovered that the control stick would move but that he had no control of the airplane. The airplane impacted the ground and was totally consumed by postimpact fire. The pilot did not remember the crash. He had flown the airplane the day before the accident and did not report any mechanical anomalies. The pilot indicated that he did not believe that the airplane stalled. Due to the extent of the postimpact fire damage, it was not possible to determine any preimpact malfunctions or failures of the engine, flight controls, or flight control surfaces. Thus, the reason for the loss of control could not be determined.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern downwind) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 100 hours in all; 13 in this make and model
- Last flight review: August 1, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 1, 2016; 13 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Mazda Rotary (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 38WI Royalton WI at 8:30 pm
- Destination: 38WI Royalton WI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Accident Airplane N801KJ
Photo 2 – Airplane Wreckage at the Accident Site
Photo 3 – Closeup of Fire-Destroyed Cockpit
Photo 4 – Accident SiteThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on April 11, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 13 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for the Record - FAA Inspector Phone Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N801KJ: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Engine: Mazda Rotary · as the NTSB recorded it
- Northport Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Wisconsin 1,622 since 1982 · 225 in the last ten years
- Wisconsin 6,161 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN17LA037.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.