NTSB CHI00LA005 — 1999-10-06 · ST. LOUIS, Missouri, United States

Current FAA registration · N25ZA

Make / Model: ZENITH CH 2000
Year of manufacture: 1997 · 2 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING 0-235 SERIES (115 hp)
Seats / Engines: 1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19970219
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A25765

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N25ZA Zenair CH 2000 None

Probable cause & findings

the student pilot misjudged the landing flare which resulted in a hard landing. A factor associated with the accident was the student's lack of total experience.

Factual narrative

On October 6, 1999, at 0900 central daylight time, a Zenair Ltd. CH 2000, N25ZA, operated by Creve Coeur Aviation experienced a hard landing on runway 16 at the Creve Coeur Airport, St. Louis, Missouri. The student pilot was not injured. The airplane received substantial damage to the firewall. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The 14 CFR Part 91 solo instructional flight originated at the Creve Coeur Airport, exact time unknown. The student pilot reported to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that the airplane bounced during a landing. The student stated he heard a "thump" and he took off again, bringing the airplane around for an uneventful landing. The accident occurred on the student's third solo instructional flight. Winds reported 7 minutes prior to the accident, at the St. Louis Lambert International Airport, 9 miles east of the accident site were calm. Inspection of the airplane following the flight, revealed damage to the nose landing gear, propeller, and firewall. The student pilot reported that the airplane bounced during a landing. The student stated he heard a 'thump' and he took off again, bringing the airplane around for an uneventful landing. The accident occurred on the student's third solo instructional flight. Winds reported 7 minutes prior to the accident, at the St. Louis Lambert International Airport, 9 miles east of the accident site were calm. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1999_CHI00LA005.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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