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CEN25LA078

2025-01-15 · Byron, Illinois, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N749WJ

Make / Model
ZENITH STOL CH 750
Year of manufacture
2012 · 13 years old at event
Engine
AMA/EXPR UNKNOWN ENG
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20120823
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AA15F6

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot inadvertently moved the ignition key to the off position and broke the key, which resulted in a loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that while in cruise flight, he noticed that his heavy keychain was pulling the key out of the ignition switch. He reached down to push the key back in, but inadvertently moved the key to the off position due to the thick glove on his hand, which resulted in a loss of engine power. When he attempted to reinsert the key and restart the engine, the key broke inside the ignition switch. He was unable to use the broken key to restart the engine. During the forced landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no other mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-(general)-(general)-Unintentional use/operation
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_CEN25LA078.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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