N4233J

On July 9, 2006, about 1455 Alaska daylight time, a Storm Zenair CH-701 experimental amateur-built airplane, N4233J, sustained substantial damage when it collided with brush covered terrain during an emergency landing following a loss of engine power, about 9 miles east of Fairbanks, Alaska. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal cross-country flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The solo sport pilot certificated pilot received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Chena Marina Airport, Fairbanks, about 1345, and was bound for Bradley Airfield, North Pole, Alaska.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on July 18, the pilot said he had been in the air for about 30 minutes en route to his destination when the airplane's engine "stuttered and then quit." He said during the emergency landing the airplane impacted brush covered terrain. The pilot said the airplane sustained structural damage to the left wing, fuselage, and horizontal stabilizer. He indicated there were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident. He reported that the engine had quit previously due to a failed seal, but the airplane's engine had been rebuilt, and he had flown 45-50 hours since the rebuild. The pilot was unaware of what precipitated the loss of engine power on the accident flight. The airplane was not examined by an NTSB investigator.