Pilot Debrief

ZENITH CH750 Cruzer near Southington, OH — 2022-10-28

Final reportERA23FA046
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Date
2022-10-28
Location
Southington, OH, USA
Airport
62D
Aircraft
ZENITH CH750 Cruzer
Registration
N820RC
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain proper airspeed while maneuvering in the airport traffic pattern and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at an altitude that was too low to recover.

NTSB narrative

According to another pilot at the airport on the day of the accident, the accident pilot departed with the intention of staying in the traffic pattern. The airport manager reported that the pilot typically took off from the asphalt runway and landed on the turf runway; the pilot at the airport observed the accident airplane take off from the asphalt runway and turn left, consistent with entering left traffic for the turf runway. There were no known witnesses to the accident. The airplane wreckage came to rest on the extended base leg of the traffic pattern for the turf runway, consistent with overshooting the turn to the final leg of the traffic pattern. Examination of the wreckage revealed no preexisting mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The wind at the time of the accident would have resulted in a left quartering tailwind for the base leg of the traffic pattern. Although there was no flight track data for the flight, given the witness statement and the wreckage location, it is likely that the pilot was planning to land on the turf runway. The wreckage location and wind conditions were consistent with the pilot overshooting the final approach leg and entering a cross-controlled aerodynamic stall while trying to return to the final approach path. Therefore, it’s likely that, while maneuvering to align with the runway during the base to final turn, the pilot failed to maintain the proper airspeed, which resulted in the exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and the airplane entering an aerodynamic stall at an altitude that was too low to recover.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have performed a go-around instead of attempting to correct the approach.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 10 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents10

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