Jones Ralph D ZODIAC CH 601 HD accident near Ama, LA
On September 26, 2015, a Jones Ralph D ZODIAC CH 601 HD (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ama, LA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 26, 2015
- Place
- Ama, LA
- Aircraft
- Jones Ralph D ZODIAC CH 601 HD · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 29.944°N, 90.285°W
- NTSB ID
- 20150927X61012
Official records · CEN15FA426
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 26, 2015, at 1222 central daylight time, an amateur-built Zodiac CH 601 HD airplane, N401, impacted terrain near St. Charles Airport (LS40), Ama, Louisiana. The pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to Buffalo RD, LLC, and was operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions existed near the accident site about the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The local flight originated from LS40 at 1221. According to GPS data downloaded from a Garmin Aera 500 GPS located in the wreckage, the airplane began its takeoff roll on runway 17 at LS40 at 1221:18. The maximum groundspeed during the takeoff roll was 84 knots. After takeoff, the groundspeed varied between 45 and 96 knots as the airplane turned to a southwesterly heading. At 1222:32, the airplane made a right turn toward the northwest . At 1222:37, the last recorded data point, the airplane was at 66 ft GPS altitude at a groundspeed of 15 knots. LS40 field elevation is 13 ft. When the airplane failed to return to the airport, a search was initiated. The wreckage was found the next day about 1300. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot held a private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and gyroplane ratings. He held a Federal Aviation Administration third-class airman medical certificate, dated December 1, 2014, which contained the restriction, "must wear corrective lenses." The pilot's flight logbook was not located. The pilot did not repor
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack following a loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and left spin.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
