Accident
On 09 August 2025, at 08:32 UTC, a Zenair Zodiac CH 601 XL aircraft, registered YR-5078, crashed within the premises of the Astra Wagons Arad factory in Arad County, Romania. The aircraft was privately owned and operated. The pilot and the passenger died in the accident. The aircraft was completely destroyed by impact and subsequent fire.
Flight History
The aircraft took off from Charlie-Bravo airdrome (LRCB) in Șiria, Arad County, at 08:15 UTC, with the pilot and a passenger on board. After takeoff, the pilot maintained continuous radio contact with Arad International Airport (LRAR) air traffic control, and the aircraft was tracked by SSR radar until 08:31:40. At that moment, the aircraft was at flight level 13 (approximately 1,200 ft above ground) with a ground speed of 75 kt. Thereafter, the aircraft was no longer detected by radar and continued on a trajectory of about 530–550 m before striking the ground. Security personnel at the factory called emergency services at 08:33.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft, a Zenair Zodiac CH 601 XL, was manufactured in 2006 with serial number 6-9838, built by Czech Aircraft Works spol. s.r.o. It was a single-engine, low-wing, all-metal aircraft with side-by-side seating, fixed landing gear, and a ROTAX 912ULS engine driving a tractor propeller. The aircraft was equipped with a ballistic recovery parachute system (BRS). The canopy was a single-piece plexiglass attached to a metal frame, hinged on both sides at the front of the fuselage, opening upward and forward with shock absorbers.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a valid ultralight motorized aircraft pilot license with a passenger flight qualification. He had a total flight experience of 11,915 hours, of which 315 hours were on ultralight aircraft. His first flight with the accident aircraft occurred on 07 September 2024, and his last recorded flights were on 15 November 2024, totaling 14 flights, 54 takeoffs, and 17 hours and 40 minutes on type.
Maintenance and Inspections
In March 2024, an authorized inspector checked the aircraft and found it compliant, noting the application of several safety bulletins and mandatory actions. At that time, the airframe had 867.18 hours, the engine 41.18 hours, and the propeller 41.18 hours. The registration certificate and its annex were issued on 18 April 2024. The last maintenance entries in the logbook were dated 10 February 2024.
Probable Cause
The cause of the accident consisted in the loss of controllability of the aircraft following the failure of the fixing pin (bolt) of the canopy on the right side and its asymmetric opening, which generated the aerodynamic imbalance of the aircraft.