Juneau (Zenith Aircraft Co) STOL CH-701 accident near Snohomish, Washington, August 18, 2011
On August 18, 2011 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Juneau (Zenith Aircraft Co) STOL CH-701, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N701BZ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Snohomish, Washington (Snohomish Private Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a stall and a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 2011 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Snohomish, Washington · Snohomish Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Juneau (Zenith Aircraft Co) STOL CH-701, amateur-built
- Registration
- N701BZ · registry record · serial 7-6065
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The sport pilot reported that he was relocating the experimental amateur-built airplane to his short home airstrip, which was bordered by trees, grapevines, and a pond. He performed three precautionary approaches to the runway in order to assess the wind conditions, and on the final approach elected to land. The airplane made contact with the runway short of his intended touchdown point; it landed hard and bounced, collapsing the nose landing gear. He said he flared the airplane early, prior to touchdown, and it subsequently stalled about 5 feet above the ground. The pilot was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and left wing spar during the accident sequence. The accident flight was the first time he had landed at the airstrip.
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 control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 126 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 73 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 17, 2010
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 35 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 25, 2010; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AWO Arlington WA at 10:00 pm
- Destination: PVT Snohomish WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 500 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 11,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 10:35 pm from KAWO, 11 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.