Davis ZENAIR STOL 701 N20584
10 July 2003 · Aurora, Colorado, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 10 July 2003 at about 18:00 local time, a Davis ZENAIR STOL 701 registered N20584 was involved in an accident near Aurora, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Aurora, Colorado, United States
- Nearest airport
- Aurora Air Park (01V)
- Coordinates
- 39.6833, -104.5350
- Aircraft
- Davis ZENAIR STOL 701
- Registration
- N20584
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Aurora → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN03LA129
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to attain adequate airspeed and establish a climb resulting in a stall/mush and collision with the ground. Contributing factors were his premature turn onto the downwind leg, and the plowed/furrowed terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
This was to be a pre-purchase test flight. The pilot said he took off and the airplane lifted into ground effect and accelerated. He saw the international airport in the distance and elected to make an early crosswind turn. During the turn, engine noise diminished and the airplane lost altitude (the pilot opined that the engine lost power during the crosswind turn). Too low to maneuver, the pilot made a downwind forced landing in a field. The airplane touched down on its main gear. When the nose wheel settled to the ground, ground furrows sheared it off and the airplane nosed over. The airplane owner witnessed the accident and said the pilot made a premature downwind turn while still in ground effect, and "flew it [the airplane] into the ground."
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 2003 | Aerostar RX-8 | Snowmass Villag, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 2003 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Delta, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2003 | Beechcraft S35 | Colorado Spring, Colorado, United States | Peter J. Vercouteren | No injuries | - |
| 23 Mar 2003 | Cessna 172S | Erie, Colorado, United States | Specialty Flight Training, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Mar 2003 | Beechcraft E-90 | Kremmling, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 2003 | Cessna 172P | Watkins, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |