Zenith Zodiac CH601XL accident near Temecula, CA
On November 23, 2021, a Zenith Zodiac CH601XL (airplane) was involved in an accident near Temecula, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- November 23, 2021
- Place
- Temecula, CA
- Aircraft
- Zenith Zodiac CH601XL · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.549°N, 117.092°W
- NTSB ID
- 20211123104310
Official records · WPR22FA048
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- F70 Airport Ctaf Audio Nov-23-2021-1830z-1900z. Downloaded From Liveatc.net November 24, 2021: Audio recording (MP3), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 23, 2021, about 1033 Pacific standard time, an experimental, amateur-built Zenith Zodiac 601XL, N601KS, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident in Temecula, California. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Data from an onboard Appareo Stratus GPS/ADS-B receiver showed that the airplane departed from runway 18 at French Valley Airport (F70) at 1020 and began a climbing left turn to the southeast, reaching an altitude of about 3,600 ft mean sea level (msl) about 7 minutes later. After reaching the shores of Vail Lake, 10 miles southeast, it began a 180° descending right turn to a heading of about 320° back in the direction of F70. Over the next three minutes, the airplane gradually descended from 2,800 to 2,400 ft msl, while maintaining an airspeed of about 100 knots (kts). The airplane then pitched about 60° nose-down while rolling about 90° right as it began descending at a rate that reached 9,600 ft per minute before the data ended. About that time, a witness, who was in the front yard of a residence about 3 miles southeast of F70, reported hearing a loud bang, then looked overhead to see an airplane flying to the northwest. The airplane rolled inverted while diving diagonally into the ground. After impact, debris started falling from the sky almost directly above her. Multiple other witnesses within the area of the housing development recounted similar observations of hearing a loud booming sound followed by observing an airplane dive toward the gr
Probable cause
The failure of the airplane’s canopy latch system, which resulted in the canopy opening in flight and a loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the lack of a secondary canopy latch as recommended by the kit manufacturer.
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Browse: California · Zenith aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
