Zenair ZENITH 801 N801PZ

Summary

On 18 October 2019 at about 17:00 local time, a Zenair ZENITH 801 registered N801PZ was involved in an accident near Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 October 2019 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Knoxville Downtown Island (DKX)

Coordinates

35.9631, -83.8767

Aircraft

Zenair ZENITH 801

Registration

N801PZ

Category

Airplane

Year built

2017

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Knoxville → Knoxville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA20CA043

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain a proper descent rate during the approach and his improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during a power-off 180° approach, he noticed the airplane was "drifting" and would not reach the intended touchdown point. He added power to correct and then reduced the power to idle to resume the approach. On short final, the airplane encountered a "wind shift or gust" and developed a high sink rate. He applied power and lowered the nose, but the airplane landed hard. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.