What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On November 23, 2021, about 1032, an experimental amateur-built zenith zodiac 601XL, N601KS, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident in Temecula, California. The pilot
Was fatally injured. The aircraft was operated as a title 14 code of federal regulations part 91 personal flight. A witness, who was located about 3 miles southeast of French Valley Airport, reported hearing a loud bang, and then looking overhead to see an airplane flying in a northwest direction. The airplane then began to roll inverted while diving diagonally into the ground. Multiple other witnesses recounted similar observations of hearing a loud booming sound followed by observing an airplane dive toward
The ground while debris fell from it. The airplane came to rest nose down in a field, about 250 ft north of the housing development. The airframe was compressed aft, such that the engine and firewall were in line with the
Trailing edge of the wings. Both wings sustained crush damage through to the aft spar, both fuel tanks had been breached, and the smell of fuel was present in the soil surrounding the site. A 70-FT-long debris field consisting of fragments of canopy plexiglass material, shards of aluminum, and fragments of flight instruments, emanated from the main wreckage west.
As the FAA filed it
ON NOVEMBER 23, 2021, ABOUT 1032, AN EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR-BUILT ZENITH ZODIAC 601XL, N601KS, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT IN TEMECULA, CALIFORNIA. THE PILOT
WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATED AS A TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT. A WITNESS, WHO WAS LOCATED ABOUT 3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF FRENCH VALLEY AIRPORT, REPORTED HEARING A LOUD BANG, AND THEN LOOKING OVERHEAD TO SEE AN AIRPLANE FLYING IN A NORTHWEST DIRECTION. THE AIRPLANE THEN BEGAN TO ROLL INVERTED WHILE DIVING DIAGONALLY INTO THE GROUND. MULTIPLE OTHER WITNESSES RECOUNTED SIMILAR OBSERVATIONS OF HEARING A LOUD BOOMING SOUND FOLLOWED BY OBSERVING AN AIRPLANE DIVE TOWARD
THE GROUND WHILE DEBRIS FELL FROM IT. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST NOSE DOWN IN A FIELD, ABOUT 250 FT NORTH OF THE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT. THE AIRFRAME WAS COMPRESSED AFT, SUCH THAT THE ENGINE AND FIREWALL WERE IN LINE WITH THE
TRAILING EDGE OF THE WINGS. BOTH WINGS SUSTAINED CRUSH DAMAGE THROUGH TO THE AFT SPAR, BOTH FUEL TANKS HAD BEEN BREACHED, AND THE SMELL OF FUEL WAS PRESENT IN THE SOIL SURROUNDING THE SITE. A 70-FT-LONG DEBRIS FIELD CONSISTING OF FRAGMENTS OF CANOPY PLEXIGLASS MATERIAL, SHARDS OF ALUMINUM, AND FRAGMENTS OF FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS, EMANATED FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE WEST.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N601KS · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.