Amateur-built ZENITH 701 STOL accident near Carlton, New York, August 26, 2011
On August 26, 2011 at about 10:00 pm local time, a amateur-built ZENITH 701 STOL, registered N246CV, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Carlton, New York. 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 pilot’s lack of recognition that the engine was being supplied fuel from only the right tank with the fuel selector in the both position, which resulted in the total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the blockage of the left fuel tank supply line.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 2011 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Carlton, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ZENITH 701 STOL
- Registration
- N246CV · registry record · serial 74830
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Several days before the accident flight, the pilot performed a local flight in the accident airplane, and, at the beginning of the flight, each fuel tank contained about 8 gallons of fuel. At the initiation of the accident flight, the pilot performed a preflight inspection and noted that the left tank still had 8 gallons of fuel but that the right tank had only 2 gallons. He departed with the fuel selector positioned to the both position, and, about 15 minutes into the flight, the engine sputtered then lost power completely. The pilot maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing in a field. After touchdown with obstructions ahead, he applied the brakes, and the airplane nosed over. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed a blockage of the left fuel tank supply line resulting in no fuel flow to the engine. No other discrepancies were reported. The evidence is consistent with the pilot having exhausted all usable fuel in the right fuel tank, and, due to the fuel line blockage in the left fuel tank supply line, the engine did not receive any fuel from the left tank.
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
- Fuel starvation during maneuvering defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during maneuvering
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel distribution › Damaged/degraded
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 600 hours in all
- Last flight review: September 1, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 1, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NY06 Albion NY at 9:45 pm
- Destination: NY06 Albion NY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from ROC, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.