- Date
- September 7, 2025, 10:20 local (14:20 UTC)
- Place
- Sturgis, MI · runway
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N22LZZodiac CH 650B
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards
- FAA report
- 20250907012359A
- Case key
- 200956
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 control while landing.
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 was conducting takeoffs and landings in the airplane at the time of the accident. According to the pilot, the initial takeoff and landing were completed without incident. The second takeoff was uneventful; however, on final approach for the second landing, the airplane ballooned about 10 ft above the runway when it encountered a wind gust. The pilot reported that he was late in initiating a go-around. The airplane bounced and then impacted on the nose landing gear resulting in the collapse. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage and right wing. The pilot noted that the wind increased from about 4 knots at the beginning of the flight, to about 10 knots with gusts to 15 knots. He stated there were no failures or malfunctions associated with the airplane before the accident. He added that additional airspeed on approach during gusty wind conditions might have prevented the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N22LZ
- Reported as
- Zodiac CH 650B
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 65-7560
- Built
- 2021
- Airframe hours
- 26
- Engine
- Viking 110, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · April 1, 2025 · 9 hours before
- Departed
- IRS · Sturgis, MI
- Destination
- IRS · Sturgis, MI
- Airport
- IRS · Kirsch Municipal, runway 24, 3,601 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Airframe parachute, ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 73
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 13, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 222 total · 13.9 in this make and model · 222 as pilot in command · 2.5 in the last 90 days · 2.5 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 5 knots, gusting 1
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- KIRS
- METAR
- METAR KIRS 071415Z AUTO 30005KT 10SM CLR 15/09 A3017
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 2, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.9 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.