Clement ZENITH ZODIAC CH601 N239PC

Summary

On 14 July 2007 at about 18:30 local time, a Clement ZENITH ZODIAC CH601 registered N239PC was involved in an accident near Rosamond, California, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 July 2007 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Rosamond, California, United States

Nearest airport

Rosamond (L00)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Clement ZENITH ZODIAC CH601

Registration

N239PC

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rosamond → Rosamond

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX07LA218

1 person had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power during approach due to the improper idle screw/stop adjustment. A factor contributing to the accident was deteriorated fuel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The accident flight was the airplane's maiden flight where the pilot was to complete a series of shallow banks. After doing the predetermined maneuvers, which included four simulated approaches to landing, he descended to traffic pattern altitude. As he maneuvered onto the base leg, he reduced the engine power from about 4,500 rpm to 2,000 rpm. The airplane began to lose a significant amount of altitude, and in response, the pilot moved the throttle control forward. The engine then had a total loss of power. The airplane descended and impacted the roof of a private residence. Examination of the airplane and engine following the accident revealed the upper spark plugs were all a similar black coloration, indicating that the fuel/air mixture was rich. Additional evidence of a rich mixture was found with dark black residue lining the tail pipe exhaust. After starting the engine during a postaccident examination, the throttle control was manipulated and the engine responded appropriately. The engine emitted a thick white smoke during operation. Investigators noted that when retarding the throttle toward the idle position, the throttle arms did not move against the idle adjustment screw stops. Manual manipulation of both throttle arms to the carburetors' adjustment screws resulted in a loss of power. The same action was repeated four times, producing the same results. The right carburetor bowl contained a brown colored liquid similar in color to a maple syrup; the odor was consistent with a varnished fuel. The left carburetor bowl contained a small amount of fluid that was similar to that of the fluid found in the right carburetor, though a shade lighter in color. The fuel found in the center fuel tank was also varnished. In the 7 months prior to the accident, the engine had only been run on 11 occasions, all on the ground, for a total of 2 hours of operational time.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.