Zlin Aviation S R O SAVAGE NORDEN accident near Cabot, Arkansas, August 30, 2023
On August 30, 2023 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 2022 Zlin Aviation S R O SAVAGE NORDEN, registered N7373, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Cabot, Arkansas (Red Oak Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The airplane manufacturer’s routing of the fuel pump wiring next to the engine’s turbocharger and exhaust, which thermally damaged the wiring and resulted in a malfunction of the fuel delivery system and a total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 2023 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cabot, Arkansas · Red Oak Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Zlin Aviation S R O SAVAGE NORDEN, built 2022 · all SAVAGE NORDENs on the register
- Registration
- N7373 · registry record · serial 377
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction, who was also the airplane owner, were performing takeoffs and landings as part of a tailwheel training flight. After an uneventful landing, they departed, remained in the traffic pattern, and were on final approach when the engine lost all power. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and conducted a forced landing to a field. The airplane impacted a fence and sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The flight instructor noticed a small fire in the engine compartment after the accident that continued for about 30 seconds. Postaccident examination revealed that the wiring for the electric fuel pumps was thermally damaged and rested on the turbine section of the turbocharger and near the exhaust system. The fuel pumps would not function when tested with airframe controls. However, they functioned normally after the thermally damaged wires were bypassed. Examination of the remaining systems revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. The engine control unit (ECU) data confirmed that the engine functioned normally for the majority of the flight but exhibited a total loss of power during the final approach. The data illustrated that the pilot increased the throttle position but the engine did not respond. Examination of an exemplar airplane revealed that the fuel pump’s wiring harness was routed near the firewall and not next to the turbocharger and exhaust, as observed on the accident airplane. According to the airplane manufacturer’s sole U.S. distributor, there is currently no standardization for placement of the fuel pump wiring during the manufacturing process. It is most likely that the engine lost power due to the thermally-damaged fuel pump wiring.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Fuel starvation during approach (VFR pattern final)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Failure
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel pumps › Inoperative
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Electrical power system › Electrical pwr sys wiring › Not inspected
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Other
- Organizational issues › Development › Manufacture/production › (general) › Manufacturer
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 695 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 287 in the last 90 days; 116 in the last 30 days; 660 as pilot in command; 257 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 17, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,930 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 5,854 as pilot in command; 661 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 29, 2023
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 165 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 23, 2023; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 915IS (piston); 165 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORK North Little Rock AR at 8:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09/2, 3,700 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.83 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from LRF, 7 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KLRF 302055Z AUTO 10011KT 10SM BKN065 33/18 A2983
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN23LA390.