David Fitzgerald ZENITH accident near Warren, ID
On August 5, 2014, a David Fitzgerald ZENITH (airplane) was involved in an accident near Warren, ID. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 5, 2014
- Place
- Warren, ID
- Aircraft
- David Fitzgerald ZENITH · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 45.210°N, 115.359°W
- NTSB ID
- 20140806X72929
Official records · WPR14FA330
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 5, 2014, about 1455 mountain daylight time (MDT), an experimental David Fitzgerald, Zenith CH750, N32FZ, crashed in mountainous terrain in the wilderness area of Warren, Idaho. The owner/pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The sport pilot and passenger were fatally injured; the airplane was destroyed by impact forces. The personal cross-country flight departed Big Creek, Idaho, about 1440 with a planned destination of Dixie, Idaho. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot was in possession of a personal SPOT Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) satellite tracker unit. When the pilot failed to check in with his family, they logged into the SPOT tracker system, and determined the location of the accident site. The family contacted the Idaho County Sheriff's Department, who initiated search and rescue. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a family concerned Alert Notice (ALNOT) on August 5, 2014, at 2326 MDT. The airplane wreckage was located on August 6, 2014. The family reported that the pilot and passenger were making a multi-day cross country flight in the backwoods remote areas of Idaho. On the accident date, the pilot was to send a message via the SPOT locator upon arrival to Dixie. The purpose of the multi-day flights was to sightsee and enjoy the back country. PERSONNEL INFORMATION A review of FAA airman records revealed that that the 57-year-old pilot held a sport pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-en
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle-of-attack while climbing to avoid terrain while operating at a high density altitude, which resulted in a stall at too low an altitude to allow recovery.
More accidents in ID
- Boeing 737, Jan 9, 2021
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- Cessna T303, Mar 3, 1998
- Cessna TU-206-G, Jul 3, 1988
Browse: Idaho
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
