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ERA14CA191

2014-04-05 · La Belle, Florida, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport X14

Current FAA registration · N410KT

Make / Model
ZENITH ZENITH CH 701
Year of manufacture
2012 · 2 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR C85-12F (85 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20130912
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A4D513

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed after a total loss of engine power at takeoff, which resulted in a hard landing. Also causal was the pilot/owner/builder's improper installation of the magnetos which resulted in the engine power loss.

Factual narrative

The pilot/owner/builder reported that at 30 to 50 feet above the runway in a steep climb after takeoff, the engine stopped producing power. The airplane "nosed over quickly" and landed hard on the nose wheel, bounced, and landed hard on the nose wheel again, collapsing it, and causing substantial damage to the firewall and airframe. Examination of the airplane's engine by an FAA airworthiness inspector revealed that both magnetos were improperly grounded at installation. The installation as found resulted in a degraded performance, and over time, resulted in a complete ignition failure and total loss of engine power. The pilot/owner/builder reported that at 30 to 50 feet above the runway in a steep climb after takeoff, the engine stopped producing power. The airplane "nosed over quickly" and landed hard on the nose wheel, bounced, and landed hard on the nose wheel again, collapsing it, and causing substantial damage to the firewall and airframe. Examination of the airplane's engine by an FAA airworthiness inspector revealed that both magnetos were improperly grounded at installation. The installation as found resulted in a degraded performance, and over time, resulted in a complete ignition failure and total loss of engine power. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Maintenance-Installation-Owner/builder - C
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Ignition system-Magneto/distributor-Incorrect service/maintenance

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_ERA14CA191.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). All research papers