Accident Details
On August 18, 2011, at approximately 1530 Pacific daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Juneau (Zenith Aircraft Company) STOL CH-701, registration N701BZ, sustained substantial damage during a hard landing at a private grass airstrip near Snohomish, Washington. The owner/builder, operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, was the sole occupant and reported no injuries.
The accident aircraft had accumulated 35 total flight hours since manufacture and had not yet completed its 40-hour Phase One experimental operating limitations. The pilot held a sport pilot certificate and reported 126 total flight hours, including 35 hours in the accident airplane.
Pilot Report
According to the pilot, the flight departed Arlington Municipal Airport, Arlington, Washington, about 1500, and was intended to relocate the airplane to his home airstrip. The intended landing area was bordered by trees, grapevines, and a pond. Prior to landing, the pilot performed three precautionary approaches to the east runway to assess wind conditions. On the final approach, he elected to land. The airplane contacted the ground approximately 60 feet short of the intended touchdown point. The landing was hard, causing the airplane to bounce and the nose landing gear to collapse. The pilot reported that he flared early, and the airplane subsequently stalled about 5 feet above the ground.
Aircraft Information
The STOL CH-701 is a short takeoff and landing kit aircraft. According to Zenith Aircraft Company, the airplane's ground roll landing distance is between 80 and 140 feet. The airstrip used was approximately 500 feet long, and this was the pilot's first landing at that location.
The pilot stated there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.