N61LRZenith Aircraft STOL CH 750 · 2014

On August 24, 2017, about 1000 central daylight time, a Zenith CH 750 airplane, N61LR, experienced a loss of engine power and landed in a field near Manila, Arkansas. The private rated pilot and one passenger were not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan had been filed. The cross-country flight departed Delta Regional Airport (DRP), Colt, Arkansas, about 0930 and was en route to Steele Municipal Airport (M12), Steele, Missouri.

The pilot stated that earlier in the day he flew from M12 to DRP with no engine anomalies noted. During the return flight at 2,000 ft above ground level, the cylinder head temperature (CHT) on one cylinders was higher than normal. He reduced the throttle and the CHT decreased, then later increased to 340°F. He then heard a loud "bang" from the engine, and the airplane and engine both shuttered. He reduced the throttle to idle and made a forced landing in a bean field. During the landing roll the nose wheel collapsed in the mud and the airplane nosed over.

The responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector sent photos of the airplane in the bean field and confirmed substantial damage to the right wing and firewall. An exterior examination of the engine did not reveal any abnormalities.

The airplane was not made available during the investigation; therefore, an engine examination was not possible.