Amateur-built ZENITH CH601XLB accident near East Amherst, New York, April 10, 2024
On April 10, 2024 at about 6:15 pm local time, a 2012 amateur-built ZENITH CH601XLB, registered N107RW, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near East Amherst, New York (Clarence Aerodrome airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control and his decision to continue the takeoff from the soft turf runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 10, 2024 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- East Amherst, New York · Clarence Aerodrome · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ZENITH CH601XLB, built 2012
- Registration
- N107RW · registry record · serial 6-4843
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.”
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
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Nose over/nose down during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- 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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 758 hours in all; 252 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 27, 2022
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 252 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 1, 2023; 8 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru 3300A (piston); 262 hours total
The flight
- Destination: 9G3 Akron NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10/2, 2,500 ft by 67 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; a few clouds at 700 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from KBUF, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KBUF 101754Z 21009KT 10SM FEW007 FEW070 FEW110 BKN250 15/10 A2996 RMK AO2 SLP147 60002 T01500100 10150 20111 56000
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on January 21, 2025. 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 | FAA Inspector's Telephone Interview Summary | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector's Accident Site and Interview Summaries | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot Logbook Excerpt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Maintenance Records Excerpts | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photo Array | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 ERA24LA175.