Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB CEN18FA186
James Donald Baker Zenith — Bolivar, MO
| Date | May 22, 2018 |
| Location | Bolivar, MO |
| Aircraft | James Donald Baker Zenith (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 87 |
| Pilot total time | 1,662 hrs · Experienced |
| Time in type | 507 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Pitch control-Not attained/maintained - C
- Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Contributed to outcome
What happened
The private pilot departed for a local personal flight in the experimental airplane that he had built and flown for about 500 hours. A witness saw the airplane flying about 50 feet above trees with the nose oscillating up and down. According to the witness, the engine was not "making any strange noises [and had a] steady tone." The airplane struck trees and impacted the ground about 0.75 mile south of the airport.
Postaccident examination of the airframe, engine, and propeller revealed no discrepancies or anomalies that would have prevented normal operation.The damage to the propeller blades was consistent with rotation at impact. An autopsy of the pilot was not performed. According to the toxicology report, no ethanol or drugs were detected. Given the oscillations described by the witness, it is likely that the pilot did not maintain airplane control following the takeoff.