Amateur-built ZMI-A accident near Ogden, Utah, March 21, 1998
On March 21, 1998 at about 2:33 pm local time, a amateur-built ZMI-A, registered N669Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ogden, Utah (Ogden-Hinckley Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the improper placement of lead ballast by the pilot, resulting in an improper balance of the airplane; and the pilot's excessive control input to correct a nose high attitude, resulting in ground impact.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 21, 1998 · about 2:33 pm local time
- Place
- Ogden, Utah · Ogden-Hinckley Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ZMI-A
- Registration
- N669Z · no longer on the register · serial ZMI-1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was cleared to runway 03 to perform a high speed taxi. He reportedly told the tower controller that 'if things feel right,' he would fly. The pilot said he attained approximately 80 miles per hour, 'pulled back slowly on the yoke and experienced a sudden nose pitch up. I must have pushed down on the yoke and the nose came down,' and the airplane struck the runway. The airplane began porpoising before striking the runway again and collapsing the nose landing gear. The airplane then skidded to a stop. The pilot said he had placed 90 pounds of lead ballast in the nose area to simulate the weight of a passenger. According to an FAA inspector, the ballast should have been placed in the passenger seat to correctly simulate a passenger on board.
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: 3,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 2, 1998; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OGD at 2:33 pm
- Destination: OGD
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 3, 8,103 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 27,000 ft
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:30 pm from OGD
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.