- Date
- October 18, 2019, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Knoxville, TN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N801PZZenair Zenith 801
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 21, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20191018017449A
- Case key
- 100478
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 a proper descent rate during the approach and his improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 4
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 that, during a power-off 180° approach, he noticed the airplane was "drifting" and would not reach the intended touchdown point. He added power to correct and then reduced the power to idle to resume the approach. On short final, the airplane encountered a "wind shift or gust" and developed a high sink rate. He applied power and lowered the nose, but the airplane landed hard. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, during a power-off 180° approach, he noticed he was "drifting" and would not make the intended touchdown point. He added power to correct, and then reduced the power to idle to resume the approach. On short final, the airplane encountered a "wind shift or gust" and developed a high sink rate. He applied power and lowered the nose, but the airplane landed hard. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airport's automated weather observation station reported that, about 5 minutes before the accident, the wind was variable at 3 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 08.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N801PZ
- Reported as
- Zenair Zenith 801 (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 8-4758
- Built
- 2017
- Airframe hours
- 180
- Engine
- Aerosport Power IO-375-B2BEMS, 195 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · June 16, 2019
- Departed
- TN98 · Knoxville, TN
- Destination
- DKX · Knoxville, TN
- Airport
- DKX · Knoxville Downtown Island, runway 08, 3,499 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, 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
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- September 30, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 350 total · 199 in this make and model · 306 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KDKX
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 19, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.1 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.