2015 Zenith CH 601XL Crash Near Bristol, Wisconsin (N9601)

Accident Overview and Flight History On July 25, 2015, at approximately 1117 central daylight time, a Sanford Zenith CH 601XL experimental amateur-built airplane, registration N9601, impacted terrain while descending near Binzel Airport (WI95) in Bristol, Wisconsin. The private pilot and one passenger were fatally injured, and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The flight, operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight, originated from Porter County Regional Airport (VPZ) near Valparaiso, Indiana, at 1017 and was destined for Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Day visual flight rules conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. Fueling records indicated the aircraft received 16.7 gallons of aviation gasoline at VPZ that morning. Radar and GPS data showed the aircraft appeared on radar about two miles northwest of Hobart Sky Ranch Airport, Indiana. Near the end of the flight, the aircraft executed a left turn at 1115 and a right turn at 1116. At 1117:20, groundspeed began to slow, and the aircraft descended from 1,722 feet MSL to a last recorded GPS point of 1,152 feet MSL. During the final 12 seconds of recording, the aircraft's lateral position changed by about 600 feet, and groundspeed slowed to 45 knots or less. The aircraft was located in an open field about 670 feet and 65 degrees from the north end of WI95's runway at 1228 on July 26, 2015, after a family member reported it missing and the Civil Air Patrol assisted in the search.