Zenith STOL CH701 N324WS

Summary

On 31 May 2020 at about 20:33 local time, a Zenith STOL CH701 registered N324WS was involved in an accident near Ambler, Alaska, 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

31 May 2020 at 20:33

Classification

Accident

Location

Ambler, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

67.0394, -158.8294

Aircraft

Zenith STOL CH701

Registration

N324WS

Category

Airplane

Year built

2014

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Noorvik

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC20LA053

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper decision to take off from unsuitable terrain, which resulted in impact with uneven terrain, the subsequent failure of the nosewheel fork, and a nose over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot, who was also the owner and builder of the experimental amateur-built airplane, reported that he landed the airplane on sand dunes. Forty-five minutes later, he took off from the sand dunes, and during the takeoff roll, the airplane hit some bumps. Just before the airplane reached rotation speed, it hit a larger bump, which propelled it upward. The airplane then descended in a nose-high attitude and impacted terrain, followed immediately by the nose landing gear (NLG) collapsing. Subsequently, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the rudder and both wing struts sustained substantial damage. The nosewheel fork had separated from the nose strut in three fragments at two fracture locations, one on each side of the nose strut attachment. Examination of the fracture surfaces revealed that all the fractures exhibited features consistent with overstress fracture in upward bending of the nosewheel fork. No evidence of preexisting cracks, wear marks, or corrosion was found. The pilot reported that the accident may have been prevented if he had conducted a more “detailed” inspection of the takeoff area. Given the evidence, it is likely that, during the takeoff roll, the NLG impacted uneven terrain, which led to the airplane becoming airborne in a nose-up attitude and then impacting terrain with force that exceeded the nosewheel fork’s structural capabilities and resulted in the nosewheel fracturing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.