What happened
On August 18, 2011, at approximately 15:30 Pacific daylight time, a Zenith Aircraft Co STOL CH-701, registration N701BZ, performed a hard landing at a private grass airstrip near Snohomish, Washington. The flight originated from Arlington Municipal Airport, Arlington, Washington, at approximately 15:00.
The pilot was relocating the experimental amateur-built aircraft to a home airstrip measuring approximately 500 feet in length. The landing area was bordered by a pond, grapevines, and trees. After performing three precautionary approaches to assess wind conditions, the pilot attempted a landing on the final approach. The aircraft struck the ground approximately 60 feet short of the intended touchdown point. The impact caused the aircraft to bounce, which resulted in the collapse of the nose landing gear. The pilot reported that he had flared the aircraft too early, causing it to stall about 5 feet above the ground.
There were no injuries resulting from the accident. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the left wing spar and the firewall.