# Accident 20141230022949A: Mds Flying LLC ZENITH ZODIAC CH 650, Ft. Pierce, FL, December 30, 2014

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 30, 2014, 13:50 local time
- Place: Ft. Pierce, FL
- Airport: St. Lucie County International
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 27.4972° N, 80.3725° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.4972&lon=-80.3725&mi=10
- Aircraft: N419PE, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N419PE-2015-04-08) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: MDS Flying ZENITH ZODIAC CH 650 (registry code 05633RM, https://openairdocs.org/model/mds-flying-zenith-zodiac-ch-650) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-233 series (registry code 42405, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-233-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MDS FLYING LLC ZENITH ZODIAC CH 650
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA15LA087](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA15LA087) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20141230022949A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON DECEMBER 30, 2014, AT APPROXIMATELY 1350 EDT, A 2014 MDS FLYING LLC, ZENITH ZODIAC CH-650, N419PE, REGISTERED TO MDS FLYING LLC, SUDDENLY PITCHED NOSE DOWN UPON FINAL APPROACH AT APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET OF ALTITUDE.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS EXISTED AT THE TIME.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AND THE PILOT RECEIVED VERY MINOR INJURIES.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA15LA087](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA15LA087), Dec 30, 2014: MDS Fying Zenith Zodiac CH 650 (N419PE), Fort Pierce, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: The inadequate modification of the airplane’s canopy latching mechanism, which resulted in the inadvertent opening of the canopy while on final approach to land and a subsequent loss of pitch control.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.