Zenith ZENITH 601XLB N235JH

Summary

On 11 October 2019 at about 16:20 local time, a Zenith ZENITH 601XLB registered N235JH was involved in an accident near Gastonia, North Carolina, 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.

Date

11 October 2019 at 16:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Gastonia, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Gastonia Muni (AKH)

Coordinates

35.2019, -81.1503

Aircraft

Zenith ZENITH 601XLB

Registration

N235JH

Category

Airplane

Year built

2012

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gastonia → Gastonia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA20CA027

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to latch the canopy before departure, which resulted in the canopy opening and the subsequent loss of airplane control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during takeoff, as the airplane lifted off, the canopy opened. Subsequently, the airplane descended and landed hard, and the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that, during a postaccident examination of the airplane about a week after the accident, the canopy latches appeared to be in good condition and operated fine. The pilot added as a safety recommendation to "double check the canopy latch."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.