Amateur-built Z-MAX accident near Palmyra, Illinois, September 25, 1994
On September 25, 1994 at about 6:37 pm local time, a amateur-built Z-MAX, registered N4592M, was destroyed in an accident near Palmyra, Illinois (Zelmer Memorial Airpark airport). 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 pilots's inadvertently stalled the airplane while maneuvering to land. Factors were the loss of engine power due to carburetor ice, carburetor icing conditions, and the unavailability of carburetor heat.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 1994 · about 6:37 pm local time
- Place
- Palmyra, Illinois · Zelmer Memorial Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Z-MAX
- Registration
- N4592M · no longer on the register · serial 459
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. HE ATTEMPTED TO TURN TO PICK A LANDING SITE. THE AIRPLANE STALLED, LOST ALTITUDE, AND IMPACTED THE TERRAIN. THE TEMPERATURE WAS 56 DEGREES AND THE DEW POINT WAS 55 DEGREES. CARBURETOR HEATING WAS NOT INSTALLED ON THE AIRPLANE. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE DISCLOSED NO EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 116 hours in all; 46 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 116 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 67 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 3, 1994; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 560 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Zenoah G50 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Edinburg IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,900 ft by 32 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,700 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 pm from ALN, 18 miles away
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.
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.