Zenith Zodiac CH601 N43373

Summary

On 15 March 2024 at about 19:20 local time, a Zenith Zodiac CH601 registered N43373 was involved in an accident near Rawlins, Wyoming, 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

15 March 2024 at 19:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Rawlins, Wyoming, United States

Nearest airport

Rawlins Municipal/Harvey Field (RWL)

Coordinates

41.8100, -107.2000

Aircraft

Zenith Zodiac CH601

Registration

N43373

Category

Airplane

Year built

2006

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR24LA115

1 person had minor injuries.

The student pilot’s failure to see and avoid powerlines during an unstabilized approach, which resulted the airplane landing short of the runway and coming to rest inverted.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was for him to perform touch-and-go takeoffs and landings flying solo. After a normal takeoff, he configured the airplane on the final approach leg of the traffic pattern with the engine operating at 1,700 rpm and a descent rate of approximately 500 ft/min descent while maintaining an airspeed of about 75 kt airspeed. He noticed the precision approach position indicator (PAPI) lights showed 3 white and 1 red (indicating he was slightly high on the approach path), and in response, maneuvered the airplane in a more nose-up attitude. As he proceeded on the final approach path, the fuselage collided with powerlines that were oriented perpendicular to the runway and about 300 ft from the threshold. The nose dropped and the pilot attempted to flare. The main landing gear touched down short of the runway threshold and then the nose gear settled into soft mud. The airplane nosed-over, coming to rest inverted. During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no pre impact mechanical malfunctions of failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.