Morris Bradley D ZENITH STOL CH-701 N123XP

Summary

On 1 March 2026 at about 21:10 local time, a Morris Bradley D ZENITH STOL CH-701 registered N123XP was involved in an accident near Hendersonville, North Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 March 2026 at 21:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Hendersonville, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

W N C Air Museum Airport (8NC9)

Coordinates

35.3061, -82.4340

Aircraft

Morris Bradley D ZENITH STOL CH-701

Registration

N123XP

Category

Airplane

Year built

2005

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA26LA133

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he did not have any previous flight experience in the make and model airplane. During takeoff, the airplane lifted off with a nose high attitude and the wings were flying, but the tail was not. The airplane began to turn to the left and the pilot was unable to correct the deviation. The airplane then departed the runway and impacted trees, resulting in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.