20260705009709A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Valerie Westedt ZENITH ZODIAC 650B · Peyton, CO · July 5, 2026

Date: July 5, 2026 · 11:30 local
Place: Peyton, CO
Airport: Meadow Lake
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N452VC
NTSB investigation: NTSBWPR26LA243
Reported as: Valerie Westedt Zenith Zodiac 650B
Reported engine: Ulpower 350I
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 195 total1 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days

N452VCRegistered now · Valerie Westedt ZENITH ZODIAC 650BS/N 65-8452 · Built 2015 Airframe modelValerie Westedt ZENITH ZODIAC 650B Engine modelUlpower 350I4 cycle

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.

A pilot was being trained on a newly purchased zenith 650B aircraft, and this was their first instructional flight in this make and model. The flight was conducting a series of touch-and-go landings. During the eighth landing attempt, the aircraft was pitched up too aggressively during the flare, which caused an aerodynamic stall and a hard touchdown on the tail and main landing gear. The aircraft bounced, and the pilot flying immediately applied engine power. The flight instructor, who lacked access to throttle or brake controls on the right side, observed an excessive nose-up attitude and commanded a throttle reduction to prevent a high-speed runway excursion. The aircraft stalled a second time, struck the runway, and bounced toward the right edge. The aircraft then pitched to the right, departed the runway surface into the grass, and struck a taxi light, which caused the airframe to rotate 180 degrees before coming to a complete stop.

As the FAA filed it

A PILOT WAS BEING TRAINED ON A NEWLY PURCHASED ZENITH 650B AIRCRAFT, AND THIS WAS THEIR FIRST INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT IN THIS MAKE AND MODEL. THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTING A SERIES OF TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS. DURING THE EIGHTH LANDING ATTEMPT, THE AIRCRAFT WAS PITCHED UP TOO AGGRESSIVELY DURING THE FLARE, WHICH CAUSED AN AERODYNAMIC STALL AND A HARD TOUCHDOWN ON THE TAIL AND MAIN LANDING GEAR. THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED, AND THE PILOT FLYING IMMEDIATELY APPLIED ENGINE POWER. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, WHO LACKED ACCESS TO THROTTLE OR BRAKE CONTROLS ON THE RIGHT SIDE, OBSERVED AN EXCESSIVE NOSE-UP ATTITUDE AND COMMANDED A THROTTLE REDUCTION TO PREVENT A HIGH-SPEED RUNWAY EXCURSION. THE AIRCRAFT STALLED A SECOND TIME, STRUCK THE RUNWAY, AND BOUNCED TOWARD THE RIGHT EDGE. THE AIRCRAFT THEN PITCHED TO THE RIGHT, DEPARTED THE RUNWAY SURFACE INTO THE GRASS, AND STRUCK A TAXI LIGHT, WHICH CAUSED THE AIRFRAME TO ROTATE 180 DEGREES BEFORE COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB WPR26LA243Accident · No injuriesClass 4 · LimitedInvestigation openPeyton, COJul 5, 2026 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N452VC · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 20220712012569ACruise/Level Flight · Eufala, OKAt 1000 local on 7/12/2022, [privacy data omitted] experienced engine issues and subsequent failure before landing in a field. During the rollout landing, the aircraft firewall, nose gear and right wing were damaged. The aircraft landed to the north and came…Jul 12, 2022 · Substantial damage