History of Flight
On November 10, 2021, at approximately 10:03 a.m. eastern standard time, an experimental amateur-built Zenith CH601, registration N22XF, was destroyed in an accident near Oak Hill, Florida. The pilot, who was also the builder and owner, was fatally injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, and no flight plan was filed.
No witnesses were present, and the pilot was not in communication with air traffic control. Radar data indicated that the airplane departed Massey Ranch Airpark (X50) in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, at 10:00 a.m. It proceeded south at an altitude of 200 feet above ground level for about three minutes before turning left to the east. The last radar return was recorded at 10:03 a.m., with the airplane on a heading of 070° at a ground speed of 98 knots. The wreckage was located in the immediate vicinity of that last radar return.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a foreign-based FAA private pilot certificate for single-engine land airplanes and had completed a BasicMed training course and Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist on February 28, 2021. His last logged flight was on November 3, 2021, at which time he had accumulated 177.3 total flight hours, including 5.1 hours in the accident airplane.
Airplane Information
The airplane was recently built by the pilot and received an FAA special airworthiness certificate on September 29, 2021. At the time of the accident, the airframe and engine had accrued approximately 8 total hours.
Wreckage and Impact
The wreckage came to rest in heavily wooded, jungle-like terrain on private property. An on-scene examination revealed that the airplane struck trees and then the ground. There was no post-impact fire, despite a strong odor of aviation fuel. All major components were located at the site. The engine was buried about two feet into the ground, and the empennage was folded forward over the cockpit. The two-blade wooden propeller was fragmented, with pieces found in the impact crater alongside the engine.
The left wing was separated approximately three feet from the wing root but remained connected by aileron control cables. Both wings sustained extensive leading-edge impact damage. Flight control continuity was established for all major components from the flight control surfaces to the cockpit, though some breaks were attributed to impact forces and post-accident recovery efforts. The horizontal stabilator was separated from the empennage and lay to the left of the main wreckage. The flying rudder was also separated and located behind the main wreckage. The electronic elevator trim servo was damaged, and its trim setting could not be determined. No mechanical deficiencies were observed that would have precluded normal operation.
Engine Examination
The engine sustained impact damage, with all four cylinders pushed slightly aft. The No. 2 and No. 4 push rods were damaged. The top spark plugs were removed, and the interior of each cylinder was examined via borescope; no anomalies were noted with the pistons, cylinder walls, or valves. The spark plugs appeared normal per the Champion Check-A-Plug chart. All accessories remained attached and were removed for engine rotation. The alternator was pushed into the case and locked, preventing free rotation. Both magnetos produced spark at all terminals on a test bench. The starter was unremarkable. The oil filter was crushed and filled with mud, but light-colored oil was observed throughout the engine.
Manual rotation of the crankshaft via the propeller flange was limited to 270 degrees. After removing the damaged push rods, the crankshaft rotated freely. Compression was established on each cylinder, and valve train continuity was confirmed on the No. 1 and No. 3 cylinders. The carburetor was disassembled; the fuel finger screen contained light debris, the bowl was empty of fuel, and the metal floats had collapsed. The electric fuel pump functioned normally when powered. No mechanical deficiencies were observed that would have precluded normal engine operation at impact.
Additional Equipment
The airplane was equipped with a dash-mounted attitude and heading reference system (AHRS). The unit was destroyed by impact, and the memory card that could have contained non-volatile flight data was not located.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Volusia County District 7 Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy, concluding that the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, and the manner was accident. Toxicological testing of postmortem specimens was performed by two laboratories. One lab detected ethanol at 0.017 g/dL in cavity blood. The other detected ethanol at 0.014 g/dL in blood, 0.017 g/dL in heart tissue, 0.028 g/dL in brain tissue, and 0.122 g/dL in muscle tissue, as well as n-butanol in muscle tissue.