Accident Zenith CH 601 XL N601KS,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 286325
 
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Date:Friday 1 February 2008
Time:11:16 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic CH60 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Zenith CH 601 XL
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N601KS
MSN: 6-5930
Year of manufacture:2007
Engine model:General Motors Corvair/T1123
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Murrieta, California -   United States of America
Phase: Initial climb
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Murrieta/Temecu, CA (F70
Destination airport:(F70)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
During the takeoff climb, the engine was starved of fuel and lost power. Following the power loss, the pilot activated the auxiliary fuel pump and tried unsuccessfully to restart the engine. The pilot was turning in a 10-degree bank toward an off-airport emergency landing site in open terrain, when the left main landing gear touched down first on the upsloping terrain. About 50 feet from the initial touchdown, the nose landing gear dug into the soft terrain and separated, and the airplane came to rest on its nose. The pilot reported that prior to the loss of power, the fuel pressure gage went to zero and he received a low fuel pressure warning. He further reported that on the daytime flight, he was operating all of his electrical systems; strobes, transponder, and radios. He said he believed that with the full operation of all the electrical devices, the electrically driven fuel pump did not have sufficient amperage to run. An inspection of the airplane revealed that the carburetor bowl was empty; even though there was fuel onboard the airplane. With the fuel pump not operating, fuel was not being supplied to the carburetor, thus allowing the engine to lose power as a result of fuel starvation. When functionally checked the fuel pump operated normally. The pilot reported that there was no recent maintenance done on the airplane.

Probable Cause: A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, which was induced by the electrical system lacking sufficient power to run all of the electrical devices on the airplane and the electrical fuel pump.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: LAX08LA056
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 6 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB LAX08LA056

History of this aircraft

Other occurrences involving this aircraft
23 November 2021 N601KS Private 1 near French Valley Airport (F70), Temecula, CA sub

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
03-Oct-2022 09:01 ASN Update Bot Added

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

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