N22XFZenith Aircraft ZODIAC CH 601 HDS · 2021

On November 10, 2021, about 1003 eastern standard time, an experimental amateur-built Zenith CH601, N22XF, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Oak Hill, Florida. The pilot/builder/owner was fatally injured. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

There were no witnesses to the accident and the pilot was not communicating with air traffic control. A review of radar data revealed the airplane departed Massey Ranch Airpark (X50), New Smyrna Beach, Florida, at 1000. The airplane traveled south for about 3 minutes at an altitude of 200 ft above ground level before it made a left turn to the east. The last radar return was at 1003, and the airplane was traveling on a heading of 070° at a ground speed of 98 knots. The airplane wreckage was located within the immediate vicinity of the last radar return.

The pilot held a foreign-based Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) private pilot certificate for airplane single-land airplane. He completed a BasicMed training course and Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist on February 28, 2021. A review of the pilot’s flight logbook revealed that his last logged flight was on November 3, 2021. At that time, he had a total of 177.3 total flight hours, of which, 5.1 hours were in the accident airplane.

The pilot had recently completed building the airplane and was issued an FAA special airworthiness certificate on September 29, 2021. The airplane and engine had accrued a total of about 8 hours at the time of the accident.

The airplane came to rest in heavily wooded and jungle-like terrain on private property. An on-scene examination revealed the airplane impacted trees then the ground. There was no post-impact fire despite a strong odor of aviation fuel around the impact area. All major components of the airplane were located at the accident site. The engine was buried about 2 ft into the ground and the empennage was folded forward over the cockpit area. The two-blade wooden propeller was fragmented and pieces were located in the impact crater with the engine.

The left wing was separated about three feet from the wing root but remained connected by the aileron control cables. Both wings sustained extensive leading edge impact damage. Flight control continuity was established for all major flight components from the flight control surface to the cockpit though there were some breaks in the system due to impact forces and postaccident recovery efforts by rescue personnel. The horizontal stabilator was separated from the empennage and was lying to the left of the main wreckage. The flying rudder had also separated and was lying behind the main wreckage. The electronic elevator trim servo was damaged from impact and a trim setting could not be determined. No mechanical deficiencies were observed with the airframe or flight controls that would have precluded normal operation at the time of impact.

The engine sustained impact damage and all four cylinders were pushed slightly aft. The No. 2 and No.4 push rods were also damaged. The top spark plugs were removed, and the interior of each cylinder was examined via borescope. No anomalies were noted with the tops of each piston, the cylinders wall or their respective valves. The top spark plugs appeared normal when compared to the Champion Check-A-Plug chart.

All the accessories remained attached to the engine and were removed to facilitate engine rotation. The alternator was pushed into the case, was locked, and would not turn freely. Both magnetos were placed on a test bench, and spark was produced at all terminals. The starter was unremarkable. The oil filter was crushed and filled with mud; however, light colored oil was observed throughout the engine.

When the engine’s crankshaft was manually rotated via the propeller flange, it would not turn more than 270 degrees. The impact damaged No. 2 and No. 4 push rods were removed, and the crankshaft rotated freely. Compression was established on each cylinder and valve train continuity was observed on the No. 1 and No. 3 cylinders.

The carburetor was disassembled. The fuel finger screen exhibited some light debris. The bowl was empty of fuel and the metal floats had collapsed. The electric fuel pump functioned normally when power was applied.

No mechanical deficiencies were observed that would have precluded normal engine operation at the time of impact.

The airplane was equipped with a dash mounted attitude and heading reference system (AHRS). The unit was destroyed from impact forces and the memory card that could have contained non-volatile memory from the accident flight was not located.

The Volusia County District 7 Medical Examiner’s Office performed the pilot’s autopsy. According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was accident.

Two labs performed toxicological testing of postmortem specimens from the pilot. One lab detected ethanol at 0.017 g/dL in cavity blood. The other lab detected ethanol at 0.014 g/dL in blood, 0.017 g/dL in heart tissue, 0.028 g/dL in brain tissue, and 0.122 g/dL in muscle tissue. That lab also detected n-butanol in muscle tissue.