DAVIDSON ZENITH STOL CH701 — Glendale, OR

What happened

The pilot had been flying in the traffic pattern before landing, shutting down, and subsequently taking on a passenger for a short flight. Witnesses reported that, after takeoff, the airplane reached an altitude of 500 feet and that the engine then sputtered and lost power. The airplane then turned steeply left and descended rapidly. The airplane partially rolled out of the turn, but the descent rate was not arrested, and the airplane subsequently impacted terrain. Witnesses responded to the accident site and heard the fuel pump operating; however, they did not see or smell fuel in the area.

The left wing root fuel valve was found in the "off" position, and the right wing root fuel valve was found nearly in the "off" position. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that both fuel tanks were nearly full with fuel. However, the fuel hoses removed downstream of the fuel valves were found empty. No evidence was found of a mechanical malfunction or failure with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. If the pilot had performed a preflight or run-up inspection before takeoff, which would have included checking the fuel valve positions, he might have noted that the fuel valves were in the "off" position. The toxicology results indicated the pilot had used lorazepam (an antianxiety medication); however, due to the low levels detected, it is unlikely that it was impairing at the time of the accident. It could not be determined whether the underlying medical condition caused impairment and contributed to the accident.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.