Pilot Debrief

ZENITH CH 750 near Xenia, OH — 2019-12-23

Final reportCEN20CA059
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Date
2019-12-23
Location
Xenia, OH, USA
Airport
I19
Aircraft
ZENITH CH 750
Registration
N227L
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during landing, which resulted in the right tire contacting the runway first followed by the left wing.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the flight was the first flight of the experimental, amateur-built airplane. He stated that he was lined up with the runway centerline for landing, that the airspeed was 60 mph, and that the tachometer was showing 1,600 rpm when he felt the right tire contact the runway. He said "in an instant the left wing came down and the left tire and axle [were] sheared off. The left wing impacted the runway and the plane skidded about 40 feet and came to a full stop." The pilot used a higher landing airspeed because he had been told by other builders of that airplane that he needed to land with speed "so as not [to] get near the stall speed as this aircraft does have leading edge slats and this equates to a high lift wing." Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the nose landing gear and the left wing strut sustained substantial damage.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have chosen a lower landing speed to avoid stall risk.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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