Amateur-built Zodiac (CH-601-HDS) accident near Everett, Washington, December 18, 2004
On December 18, 2004 at about 8:45 pm local time, a amateur-built Zodiac (CH-601-HDS), registered N826JB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Everett, Washington (Paine Field). It was a personal flight 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 pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control immediately after takeoff. A factor was the wake turbulence from the preceding airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 18, 2004 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Everett, Washington · Paine Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Zodiac (CH-601-HDS)
- Registration
- N826JB · no longer on the register · serial 64000
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he was performing a touch-and-go landing on runway 34L. He said that the tower controller had alerted him to the departure of a Boeing 777, and that he had at least 3 minutes separation. The pilot said that the landing was uneventful, but almost immediately after lifting off, his airplane rolled to the right and its right wing contacted the runway. The right wing was bent and wrinkled; the nose wheel landing gear and the left main landing gear were broken; the engine mounts, firewall, lower longerons and forward fuselage were crushed and/or bent. The wind was 280 degrees at 4 knots.
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: 283 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 172 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 21, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 14, 2004; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru EA-81 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAE Everett WA at 8:30 pm
- Destination: PAE Everett WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34L, 9,010 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.44 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from PAE
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.