Amateur-built ZENITH accident near Puyallup, Washington, May 24, 2011
On May 24, 2011 at about 9:00 pm local time, a amateur-built ZENITH, registered N34NH, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Puyallup, Washington (Pierce County Airport-Thun Fld). 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 adequate airspeed during landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s lack of experience in the accident airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 2011 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Puyallup, Washington · Pierce County Airport-Thun Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ZENITH CH-701
- Registration
- N34NH · no longer on the register · serial 7-6680
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he conducted two uneventful landings on a paved runway then conducted circles above the traffic pattern to familiarize himself with the newly built airplane. During the third landing onto a grassy area parallel to the paved runway, the pilot approached the landing area between 32 and 35 mph with the flaps fully retracted. About 10 feet above the grass, the pilot felt that the airplane was a little high and fast so he reduced power and pitched the nose up to slow the airplane. The nose suddenly dropped. The nosewheel dug into the ground and the airplane nosed over, coming to a rest inverted and substantially damaging the rudder, firewall, and wing struts. The pilot’s total flight experience was approximately 7 hours in the airplane make and model, with 4 hours in the accident airplane. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations. During a telephone conversation, a representative of the manufacturer reported that the average approach speed for the airplane is between 45 and 50 mph, with a stall speed of about 35 mph with the flaps retracted.
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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during landing defining event
- Hard landing during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience w/ equipment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,579 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 5,400 as pilot in command; 1,487 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 1, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PLU Puyallup WA at 8:00 pm
- Destination: PLU Puyallup WA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; a few clouds at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from PLU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.