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ERA24LA175

2024-04-10 · East Amherst, New York, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport D51

Current FAA registration · N107RW

Make / Model
ZENITH ZODIAC 601 XL
Year of manufacture
2012 · 12 years old at event
Engine
JABIRU 3300A (120 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20120628
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A02041

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control and his decision to continue the takeoff from the soft turf runway.

Factual narrative

The airplane was departing from a wet, turf runway. The pilot reported that during the departure roll the airplane began to veer to the right and was not travelling fast enough when he attempted to takeoff. The airplane’s nose gear settled back onto the runway, it then sank into the soft turf, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane came to rest inverted and sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot further reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot also stated that he should have aborted the takeoff, but “thought he could power through the drifting and get the aircraft off the ground.” Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-Soft surface-Contributed to outcome
  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2024_ERA24LA175.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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