Amateur-built Zodiac 601 XL accident near Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, August 29, 2008
On August 29, 2008 at about 7:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Zodiac 601 XL, registered N9881T, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Coeur D'Alene, Idaho (Coeur D'Alene Air Terminal airport). 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
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control after the engine experienced a loss of power. Contributing to the accident was the mixture control arm separating from the fuel metering valve shaft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 2008 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Coeur D'Alene, Idaho · Coeur D'Alene Air Terminal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Zodiac 601 XL
- Registration
- N9881T · no longer on the register · serial 6-5407
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the airplane departed on its maiden flight, witnesses reported hearing the engine "cut out" then start again before completely losing power. The airplane was subsequently observed in "a tight spiral" with its wings "pointing straight up and down" before impacting terrain and sliding into the side of a school building. The airplane came to rest in an inverted position. Fuel was detected at the accident site and there was no post crash fire. A Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness inspector reported that the carburetor's mixture control lever had separated from its mixture shaft, and that the carburetor's metering valve shaft appeared to have been slightly bent and grooved for some time.
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 engine power (total) during initial climb defining event
- Loss of control in flight during initial climb
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel control/carburetor › Failure
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel distribution › Malfunction
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Lateral/bank control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 900 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 0.1 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 16, 2008; 0.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Corvair 164 CID (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: COE Coeur D'Alene ID at 7:35 pm
- Destination: COE Coeur D'Alene ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 7:35 pm from COE, 1 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.