Zenith CH701 accident near Okeechobee, Florida, November 6, 2015
On November 6, 2015 at about 4:35 pm local time, a 2007 Zenith CH701, registered N56553, was destroyed in an accident during enroute near Okeechobee, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight structural failure due to a severely corroded wing strut, which resulted in a loss of airplane control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 6, 2015 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Okeechobee, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Zenith CH701 NO SERIES, built 2007
- Registration
- N56553 · no longer on the register · serial CH 701 ITEC
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was repositioning the experimental light-sport airplane that had neither been flown nor received a condition inspection in about 4 years. Witnesses near the accident site reported that the airplane was rocking back and forth when one or both wings folded up and back. The airplane entered an uncontrolled descent, impacted the ground in a residential area, and was destroyed by a postcrash fire. Two windscreen fragments, including one that was about 18 inches by 11.5 inches, were found on the ground about 150 ft northeast of the initial ground scar, opposite the airplane's direction of travel. Examination of the engine did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions; however, impact and fire damage precluded a functional check of the engine and its fuel and ignition systems. Metallurgical examination of the wings' front and rear struts revealed severe internal corrosion in all the struts and multiple separations. Lack of bending deformation suggested that the initial failure of the wing struts occurred in the left wing forward strut, likely as a result of normal operational loads applied to a severely corroded strut with a severely reduced cross-sectional area. The airplane was manufactured about 8 years before the accident and purchased by the current owner about 7 years before the accident. The pilot was operating the airplane without a current condition inspection or ferry permit authorization. Witness statements, the discovery of the windscreen fragments about 150 ft before the airplane's first contact with ground, and metallurgical examination of the wing struts suggest that the airplane experienced an in-flight structural failure due to corrosion of the wing struts, which resulted in a loss of airplane control.
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
- Aircraft inspection event during prior to flight
- Aircraft structural failure during enroute 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 Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Wing structure › (general) › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Wing structure › (general) › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 62 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, November 24, 2011; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,298 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 105 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: X51 Homestead FL at 2:35 pm
- Destination: FD70 Okeechobee FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 pm from OBE, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
11 documents, released by the NTSB on November 2, 2017. 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 | Witness and Personnel Statements | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Aircraft Bill of Sale | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Maintenance Logbooks (Excerpts) | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Local Airport Weather Observations | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Wreckage Scatter Diagram | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 15 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report 16-032 | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
| 8 | GPS Non-volatile Memory Data Factual Report | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Pilot Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Wreckage Release and Evidence Control Forms | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 11 | Zenair Service Letter/notification - Jan 2016 | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.