ERA17LA258

Factual narrative

On July 22, 2017, about 1700 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Zenith 601XL, N651JL, was substantially damaged during landing at Aiken Municipal Airport (AIK), Aiken, South Carolina. The commercial pilot was not injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight that departed Hendersonville Airport (0A7), Hendersonville, North Carolina.The pilot stated he completed a pre-buy inspection of the airplane in Hendersonville, North Carolina. He test flew the airplane and performed a couple landings before purchasing the airplane and flying home. Following the uneventful flight to AIK, the pilot reported that after touchdown the nose landing gear began "shaking violently." He pulled back on the yoke, which resulted in a tail strike. The airplane then veered off the runway and the nose landing gear collapsed when it contacted the ground the second time. Examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector revealed substantial damage to the firewall, leading edge of the left wing, and nose gear. The inspector stated the airplane touched down approximately 800 ft past the threshold of runway 25. About 65 ft from the runway there were tire marks in the grass from the two main wheels and divots from the nose landing gear fairing. Examination of the nose landing gear lower bearing, a nylon block, revealed that it was fractured. No maintenance history specific to the lower nose landing gear bearing was available. In the previous 14 years the airplane had four different owners and accumulated about 271 hours. The two-seat, low wing, tricycle landing gear-equipped airplane, was powered by a Lycoming O-235, 116-horsepower engine. The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, airplane single-engine sea, airplane multiengine land, and instrument airplane. He also possessed a mechanic certificate with ratings for airframe and powerplant. He reported 4,515 hours of total flight experience, 11 hours in the accident airplane make and model. His most FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on December 5, 2016 with the limitation "must wear corrective lenses." The 1815 weather at AIK included wind from 180° at 6 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; temperature 32° C; dew point 23° C; and altimeter setting 29.98 inches of mercury. The commercial pilot reported that he had recently purchased the experimental, amateur-built airplane and was returning home after completing a prepurchase inspection and an uneventful test flight. During the landing, the nose landing gear (NLG) started "shaking violently," and he responded by pulling back on the yoke, which resulted in a tail strike. The airplane subsequently veered off the runway, and the NLG collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall, the left wing's leading edge, and the NLG. Examination of the NLG revealed that its lower bearing was fractured, which likely resulted in the pilot's inability to maintain directional control. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Nose/tail landing gear-Failure - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Attain/maintain not possible - C