Zenith 750 N1949H

Summary

On 7 September 2022 at about 20:20 local time, a Zenith 750 registered N1949H was involved in an accident near Silex, Missouri, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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

7 September 2022 at 20:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Silex, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Herrmann-Faulk Airfield (54MO)

Coordinates

39.1426, -90.9609

Aircraft

Zenith 750

Registration

N1949H

Category

Airplane

Year built

2011

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Silex → Silex

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA412

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the powerlines during takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and pilot-rated passenger departed from a 1,100-ft-long turf runway on the first flight after assembling the kit-built airplane. The pilot reported that the airplane’s ground roll was about 400 ft, and after takeoff, he turned right to avoid a rural power line near the end of the runway. The airplane subsequently impacted the power line and then terrain, which damaged both wings and fuselage. The pilot reported, and a postaccident examination corroborated, that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot remarked that the airplane’s “Y” yoke, located between the two pilots’ knees, made pitch control during the takeoff more difficult, as compared to a control wheel or stick. Takeoff performance information from the kit manufacturer indicated the airplane with a 100 horsepower (HP) engine was capable of clearing the power line by a significant margin; whereas a pilot operating handbook released in 2009 for factory-built airplanes equipped with a 100 HP engine indicated significantly less margin to clear the power line. Takeoff performance information for the accident airplane, which was equipped with a 120 HP engine, was not available to the pilots. The pilot reflected that a better risk management option for the initial takeoff would have been to depart solo and meet the pilot-rated passenger at another airport with a longer runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.