Amateur-built ZENITH 601 HD accident near Englewood, Florida, February 27, 2021
On February 27, 2021 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 2017 amateur-built ZENITH 601 HD, registered N2614, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Englewood, Florida (Buchan 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate compensation for gusty wind conditions, which resulted in a hard landing. The rough terrain of the runway also contributed to the outcome.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 27, 2021 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Englewood, Florida · Buchan · 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 HD NO SERIES, built 2017
- Registration
- N2614 · registry record · serial 6-8820
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was approaching the runway for landing and said that the airplane suddenly encountered a high sink rate due to “wind shear.” The pilot tried to add engine power to compensate, but the airplane landed on the main landing gear and bounced. Once the airplane settled back onto the turf runway, the nosewheel struck a hole in the ground, which he believed was a gopher tortoise burrow. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the underside of the airplane’s fuselage was substantially damaged. A weather reporting station at an airport 6 nautical miles from the accident location reported that a right quartering headwind at 10 knots, gusting to 18 knots, existed about the time of the accident.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Response/compensation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 348 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 5.1 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 28, 2017
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 62.5 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 27, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 ULS (piston); 1,274 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 2,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 am from VNC, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA21LA145.