Wrb Associates, LLC. Zodiac 601 XL accident near La Belle, Missouri, November 1, 2007
On November 1, 2007 at about 9:35 pm local time, a Wrb Associates, LLC. Zodiac 601 XL, registered N634WB, was destroyed in an accident near La Belle, Missouri. It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while maneuvering. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of recent flight experience and his total lack of experience in the accident airplane model.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 1, 2007 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- La Belle, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Wrb Associates, LLC. Zodiac 601 XL
- Registration
- N634WB · no longer on the register · serial 6-6358
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was certified as an Experimental Light Sport Aircraft (E-LSA) four days before the accident. The accident occurred during the airplane's first flight since manufacture. Several witnesses reported seeing the airplane depart and then commence a series of left turns about two miles southeast of the airport. While the airplane was established in a left turn it rolled to the left and entered a near vertical descent. The airplane exploded upon impact and a ground fire ensued. The wreckage was found in a vacant field with no obstructions in the general area of the accident site. The absence of any discernible lateral ground markings was consistent with a near vertical impact. Examination of the recovered wreckage revealed no evidence of a pre-impact mechanical malfunction. The pilot did not have any flight experience in a model 601 XL airplane before the accident flight. The pilot's most current flight review was completed more than 16 years before the accident. According to the pilot's wife, it had been nearly 10 years since he last piloted an aircraft.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 119 hours in all; 81 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 1, 1991
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 28, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru 3300A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MO09 Lewistown MO at 9:30 pm
- Destination: MO09 Lewistown MO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from KUIN, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.