James Donald Baker Zenith accident near Bolivar, MO
On May 22, 2018, a James Donald Baker Zenith (airplane) was involved in an accident near Bolivar, MO. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 22, 2018
- Place
- Bolivar, MO
- Aircraft
- James Donald Baker Zenith · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.600°N, 93.409°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180522X13946
Official records · CEN18FA186
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 22, 2018, about 0930 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Zenith 601, N622DP, collided with trees and impacted terrain after takeoff from Bolivar Municipal Airport (M17), Bolivar, Missouri. The private pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was owned by the pilot who operated it under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions were reported, and no flight plan had been filed. The local personal flight originated about 0925. According to one witness, the airplane was flying "low above the trees," and the nose "going up and down about 50 feet above the trees." The witness reported that the engine wasn't "making any strange noises [and had a] steady tone." The accident site was located about 0.75 mile south of M17 between the 16th and 18th holes at the Silo Ridge Golf and Country Club. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe 87-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. He held a BasicMed certificate. The pilot reported having about 1,662 hours of flight experience of which about 507 hours were in the Zenith 601. The pilot also held three repairman experimental aircraft builder certificates. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe airplane was constructed by the pilot from a kit and was issued a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certificate of airworthiness on June 21, 2007. It was powered by a Continental C85-12 engine, serial number 26363-6-12, rated at 85 horsepower, driving a Sensenich 2-blade, fixed pitch
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control after takeoff.
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Browse: Missouri
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
