Undetermined · NTSB ERA09LA193
BURKHOLDER JIMMY C Zodiac 601HD — Live Oak, FL
| Date | March 10, 2009 |
| Location | Live Oak, FL |
| Aircraft | BURKHOLDER JIMMY C Zodiac 601HD (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Enroute-cruise Fire/smoke (non-impact) |
| Pilot age | 68 |
| Pilot total time | 298 hrs · Low time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
What happened
Two witnesses observed the experimental airplane flying overhead and noticed smoke coming from its front and underside. One of the witnesses reported that one wing was lower than the other and that the airplane was "loud." No radar data was available to determine the airplane’s flight path; examination of the airplane revealed that it impacted a tree with one wing, then impacted the ground at the base of the tree with the top half of the tree embedded in the fuselage. There was no evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomaly; however, the airplane was completely consumed by a postcrash fire. Examination of the pilot’s logbook revealed a total of 249 hours of flight experience. In the previous 9 years he logged 18 hours, including a 5-year period of time with no flight time logged. The pilot was also the builder and repairman for the airplane. His most recent entry in the airframe logbook was for a routine conditional inspection 5 months prior to the accident, at an aircraft total time of 249 hours. The origin of the smoke could not be determined; however, it could have affected the pilot's ability to control the airplane.