Amateur-built ZENITH 601 accident near Aiken, South Carolina, July 22, 2017
On July 22, 2017 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 2003 amateur-built ZENITH 601, registered N651JL, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Aiken, South Carolina (Aiken Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the nose landing gear’s (NLG) lower bearing, which resulted in the pilot’s inability to maintain directional control during landing, a runway excursion, and the NLG collapsing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2017 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Aiken, South Carolina · Aiken Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ZENITH 601 XL, built 2003
- Registration
- N651JL · no longer on the register · serial 4613
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
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
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during landing
- Landing gear collapse during landing defining event
- Tailstrike during landing
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
- Runway excursion during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,515 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 4,515 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 15, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 271.8 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 10, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 1,067 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0A7 Hendersonville NC at 7:45 pm
- Destination: AIK Aiken SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from KAIK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on December 5, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation - Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Part Diagram | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Record of Conversation - FAA Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo Array | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.