Zenith STOL CH701 accident near Geneva, OH
On May 25, 2025, a Zenith STOL CH701 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Geneva, OH. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 25, 2025
- Place
- Geneva, OH
- Aircraft
- Zenith STOL CH701 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 41.766°N, 80.909°W
- NTSB ID
- 20250525200201
NTSB summary
On May 25, 2025, about 1007 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Zenith STOL CH701, N514JG, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Geneva, Ohio. The pilot was fatally injured and the pilot-rated passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 test flight. According to the pilot-rated passenger, who was also the owner of the airplane, he purchased the airplane in October 2024. He and the pilot subsequently removed the wings and transported the airplane to Germack Airport (7D9), Geneva, Ohio. The purpose of the flight was to conduct a test flight following the airplane’s reassembly and inspection. During the preflight inspection, the pilot ensured the flight controls were free and correct and no anomalies were noted during the engine run-up check. The passenger reported that during the initial takeoff roll, “the airplane didn’t seem like it wanted to fly”, and the takeoff was aborted. The pilot taxied the airplane back to the departure end of runway 19 and initiated a second takeoff. The airplane became airborne approximately 1,800 ft down the 3,260-ft-long paved runway. During the initial climb, at an altitude of about 150 ft above ground level (agl), the airplane was unable to gain additional altitude. The pilot then pitched the nose down to gain airspeed, but the airplane was unable to maintain level flight. A surveillance video captured the engine sound consistent with operating power as the airplane descended to the trees in a nose-up attitude (see figure 1). Fi
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Browse: Ohio · Zenith aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
