- Date
- June 1, 2023, 10:03 local (15:03 UTC)
- Place
- Forest Lake, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N827LCZenith 750
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230601010879A
- Case key
- 192283
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control during the approach to land that resulted in an excessive descent rate and impact with the runway.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported on that he deliberately flew a high approach to land as he had experienced a high sink rate on previous flights. About 1/3 the way down the runway and despite being “ready for it” the pilot experienced a high sink rate as the airplane was about 30 feet off the ground. The airplane impacted the runway and bounced, upon impacting the runway a second time, the airplane remained on the ground, but the pilot reported a “total loss” of rudder control and the aircraft veered off the left side on the runway and came to rest into a ditch. The landing gear collapsed and the forward fuselage was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N827LC
- Reported as
- Zenith 750 (SD)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 11167
- Built
- 2023
- Airframe hours
- 3
- Engine
- Aerosport IO-375-B2B, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · April 21, 2023 · 3 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 25D · Forest Lake, runway 13, 2,700 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Satellite tracking device, Electronic primary flight display
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 15, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 120 total · 3 in this make and model · 105 as pilot in command · 15.2 in the last 90 days · 4.1 in the last 30 days · 0.4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KANE, 11 nm away
- METAR
- KANE 011450Z 15009KT 10SM FEW150 SCT250 27/17 A3000
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 28, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.