Zenair CH601 accident near Maricopa, AZ
On June 10, 2020, a Zenair CH601 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Maricopa, AZ. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 10, 2020
- Place
- Maricopa, AZ
- Aircraft
- Zenair CH601 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.002°N, 111.880°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200610X23504
Official records · WPR20LA177
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- FAA Phoenix TRACON Audio - Biltmore Sector: Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 9, 2020, about 2023 mountain standard time, an experimental amateur-built Zenith 601HDS, N6402X, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Ak-Chin Regional Airport (A39), Maricopa, Arizona. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot was based out of Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (DVT). According to his wife, he often flew at night because he enjoyed observing and photographing the night sky, and A39 was typically where he refueled the airplane. Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast data revealed that the airplane departed DVT about 1958 and flew directly south-southeast toward the Class B airspace of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). The pilot then requested a transition through the airspace, and was given clearance by air traffic controllers to enter and maintain an altitude of 4,500 ft. By 2013, the airplane had cleared the airspace to the south and continued a direct track toward A39. At 2021 (figure 1), it reached A39 and proceeded to fly directly over the airport at an altitude of 2,000 ft msl (700 ft agl). Over the next 2 minutes, the airplane began a sweeping 1.25-mile radius left turn during which time it climbed to about 2,175 ft and descended to 1,700 ft. The last recorded target indicated that the airplane was at an altitude of 1,700 ft, about 250 ft south of the 1,735 ft peak of an isolated hill, about 2 miles east of the approach end of runway 22. A pilot flying a Piper PA28 airplane was also inbound to A39 about the
Probable cause
The pilot’s loss of situational awareness and descent below pattern altitude during the landing approach, which resulted in collision with terrain at night.
More accidents in AZ
- De Havilland DHC-6-300, Sep 27, 1989
- Cessna 402C, Jun 19, 1992
- Piper PA-31-350, Aug 17, 1983
- Piper PA-31-350, Feb 13, 1995
- Cessna 421C, Sep 2, 1995
Browse: Arizona
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
