20091017020189I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Amtr ZODIAC 601XL · Midlothian/Wax, TX · October 17, 2009

Date: October 17, 2009 · 15:30 local
Place: Midlothian/Wax, TX
Airport: Mid-Way Regional
Phase of flight: Maneuver
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N2630J
Reported as: Amtr ZODIAC601XL
Reported engine: CORVAI 2700CC
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 700 total2 in this make and model2 in the last 90 days

N2630JRegistration cancelled Feb 12, 2018 · Bannister Jay M ZODIAC 601XLS/N 6-6262 · Built 2008 Airframe modelBannister Jay M ZODIAC 601XL Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

At 3500FT MSL. Engine on N2630, surged several times. Pilot switched fuel tanks, coil and fuel pump. After several more surges the engine quit. Pilot tried to restart engine several times. Pilot put aircraft into a terraced field and touched down on the upslope of a terrace and re-launched into the air. At low airspeed aircraft lost elevator authority which caused the aircraft to touch down nose low. The nose gear caught the berm and caused the nose gear to dig in and collasp stopping the aircraft in a nose low attitude. Piolt turned and verified power switches were off and exited the aircraft. Pilot sustained to no injuries. Aircraft sustained minor damage.

As the FAA filed it

AT 3500FT MSL. ENGINE ON N2630, SURGED SEVERAL TIMES. PILOT SWITCHED FUEL TANKS, COIL AND FUEL PUMP. AFTER SEVERAL MORE SURGES THE ENGINE QUIT. PILOT TRIED TO RESTART ENGINE SEVERAL TIMES. PILOT PUT AIRCRAFT INTO A TERRACED FIELD AND TOUCHED DOWN ON THE UPSLOPE OF A TERRACE AND RE-LAUNCHED INTO THE AIR. AT LOW AIRSPEED AIRCRAFT LOST ELEVATOR AUTHORITY WHICH CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO TOUCH DOWN NOSE LOW. THE NOSE GEAR CAUGHT THE BERM AND CAUSED THE NOSE GEAR TO DIG IN AND COLLASP STOPPING THE AIRCRAFT IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. PIOLT TURNED AND VERIFIED POWER SWITCHES WERE OFF AND EXITED THE AIRCRAFT. PILOT SUSTAINED TO NO INJURIES. AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE.