Amateur-built Zenith CH 701 accident near Marion, Virginia, April 30, 2019
On April 30, 2019 at about 10:50 pm local time, a 2007 amateur-built Zenith CH 701, registered N396PH, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Marion, Virginia (Mountain Empire 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The noncertificated pilot's failure to maintain control following a bounced landing and his decision to fly the airplane without proper training.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 2019 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Marion, Virginia · Mountain Empire · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Zenith CH 701, built 2007
- Registration
- N396PH · no longer on the register · serial 7-5308
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The noncertificated pilot had purchased the airplane about 3 months before the accident and was flying the airplane for the second time. During landing, the airplane descended rapidly from about 15 ft above ground level (agl), landed hard, and bounced back into the air. The pilot added full power; however, as the airplane climbed through about 20 ft agl, it dropped rapidly a second time and landed hard. The right main landing gear wheel assembly separated, and the airplane veered to the right before it came to rest upright on the edge of the runway, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot had obtained some flight training about 18 years before the accident in a different airplane make and model. He did not obtain a certificate and had not flown since then until purchasing the accident airplane. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot’s failure to maintain control during a bounced landing.
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 in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Flight time: 60 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 40 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 1, 2019; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MKJ Marion VA at 10:44 pm
- Destination: MKJ Marion VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 5,252 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,900 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from KMKJ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on November 23, 2021. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation - Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.