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601HD accident

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eedetail(at)qwest.net
Guest

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 2:30 pm Post subject: 601HD accident

Built by David Taylor, registered to

Donald E Copeland on  9-27-2006.



Any information besides this?

IDENTIFICATION

  Regis#: 143DT        Make/Model: EXP       Description: ZODIAC 601HD EXP

  Date: 10/21/2006     Time: 2130



  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: None     Mid Air: N    Missing: N

  Damage: Destroyed



LOCATION

  City: SAN ANTONIO   State: TX   Country: US



DESCRIPTION

  ACFT ON TAKEOFF, ENGINE FAILED AND CRASHED INTO A FIELD, 5 MILES SOUTH OF

  SAN GERONIMO AIRPARK, SAN ANTONIO, TX



INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0

                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:

                 # Pass:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:

                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:



WEATHER: 0610212053Z 23007KT 10SM FEW035 28/19 A2983



OTHER DATA

  Activity: Pleasure      Phase: Take-off      Operation: OTHER



  Departed: SAN ANTONIO, TX             Dep Date:    Dep. Time:

  Destination: SAN ANTONIO, TX          Flt Plan:              Wx Briefing:

  Last Radio Cont:

  Last Clearance:



  FAA FSDO: SAN ANTONIO, TX  (SW17)               Entry date: 10/23/2006

craig(at)craigandjean.com
Guest

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 2:50 pm Post subject: 601HD accident

This was posted by a witness (Oscar Zuniga) on the Corvair list:



<quote>

No, this one wasn't a Corvair but I witnessed it.  A very nice Zenith with a

Rotax 912 went down at San Geronimo yesterday.  Everybody walked away, no

fire, but substantial damage.  I heard the airplane taking off to the south,

looked out of the hangar to watch the takeoff (can't resist watching),

noticed he wasn't climbing out as smartly as Randy's ZenVair usually does,

his climb seemed to go flat just about the time the engine sounded like it

went to half throttle just about over the numbers at the south (upwind) end

of the field.  Never revved any higher, the airplane went level and then

started mushing, power dropped even more, and I watched in horror as it

began to descend and start a slow turn to the east (away from the house

that's out that way).  Down, down, down out of sight and into the brush... 

then a loud crash and crunch and there were a bunch of us running over there

to see what happened.



My first thought: "no smoke, no fire.  That's good".  When we got to the

scene, the pilot and his passenger, a lady, were standing well clear of the

crash site looking to see if a fire would break out.  Pilot had hurt his

left side ribcage on the side of the cockpit as it slewed in on the ground,

but other than that they both seemed OK.



He had touched down on the mains in a cleared field, rolled and bounced it

through a barbed-wire fence and three steel T-posts that started the slowing

process, then into brush about six or eight feet high that very quickly

stopped the plane.  Beautiful 3-blade wooden prop lost two blades, left wing

and main gear of the airplane took the brunt of the hit, based on what I saw

it's a tossup as to whether it will be rebuildable or not.  Nobody wanted to

touch anything until the NTSB checked it out.  Pilot did a beautiful job of

maintaining airspeed above stall even in the gentle turn, steering it away

from populated areas, and putting it down level.  ELT did not go off.

<end quote>



-- Craig

n282rs(at)earthlink.net
Guest

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 3:00 pm Post subject: 601HD accident

It happened at San Geronimo Airpark 8T8. All we know at this point is that

the engine quit shortly after liftoff and went down in some brush just off

the field. As far as I know, the aircraft still hasn't been recovered. My

hangar mate, Oscar Zuniga, saw it. Here's his account:



 	  Quote: 	
		  >>A very nice Zenith with a Rotax 912 went down at San Geronimo yesterday.

Everybody walked away, no 
	


fire, but substantial damage.  I heard the airplane taking off to the

south, looked out of the hangar to watch the takeoff (can't resist

watching), noticed he wasn't climbing out as smartly as Randy's ZenVair

usually does, his climb seemed to go flat just about the time the engine

sounded like it went to half throttle just about over the numbers at the

south (upwind) end of the field.  Never revved any higher, the airplane

went level and then started mushing, power dropped even more, and I watched

in horror as it began to descend and start a slow turn to the east (away

from the house that's out that way).  Down, down, down out of sight and

into the brush... 

then a loud crash and crunch and there were a bunch of us running over

there to see what happened.



My first thought: "no smoke, no fire.  That's good".  When we got to the

scene, the pilot and his passenger, a lady, were standing well clear of the

crash site looking to see if a fire would break out.  Pilot had hurt his

left side ribcage on the side of the cockpit as it slewed in on the ground,

but other than that they both seemed OK.



He had touched down on the mains in a cleared field, rolled and bounced it

through a barbed-wire fence and three steel T-posts that started the

slowing process, then into brush about six or eight feet high that very

quickly stopped the plane.  Beautiful 3-blade wooden prop lost two blades,

left wing and main gear of the airplane took the brunt of the hit, based on

what I saw it's a tossup as to whether it will be rebuildable or not. 

Nobody wanted to touch anything until the NTSB checked it out.  Pilot did a

beautiful job of 

maintaining airspeed above stall even in the gentle turn, steering it away

from populated areas, and putting it down level.  ELT did not go off.



Had to be fuel problems.  Had to be, but I'm just guessing.<<<



Randy Stout 

San Antonio, TX

n282rs"at"earthlink.net

www.geocities.com/r5t0ut21

 	  Quote: 	
		   [Original Message]

 From: Tim Egan <eedetail(at)qwest.net>

 To: <zenith-list(at)matronics.com>

 Date: 10/24/2006 5:38:22 PM

 Subject: 601HD accident



 



 Built by David Taylor, registered to

 Donald E Copeland on  9-27-2006.



 Any information besides this?

 IDENTIFICATION

   Regis#: 143DT        Make/Model: EXP       Description: ZODIAC 601HD EXP

   Date: 10/21/2006     Time: 2130



   Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: None     Mid Air: N    Missing: N

   Damage: Destroyed



 LOCATION

   City: SAN ANTONIO   State: TX   Country: US



 DESCRIPTION

   ACFT ON TAKEOFF, ENGINE FAILED AND CRASHED INTO A FIELD, 5 MILES SOUTH

OF
	


 	  Quote: 	
		     SAN GERONIMO AIRPARK, SAN ANTONIO, TX



 INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0

                  # Crew:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0    

Unk:
	


 	  Quote: 	
		                    # Pass:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0    

Unk:
	


 	  Quote: 	
		                    # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0    

Unk:
	


 	  Quote: 	
		  

 WEATHER: 0610212053Z 23007KT 10SM FEW035 28/19 A2983



 OTHER DATA

   Activity: Pleasure      Phase: Take-off      Operation: OTHER



   Departed: SAN ANTONIO, TX             Dep Date:    Dep. Time:

   Destination: SAN ANTONIO, TX          Flt Plan:              Wx

Briefing:
	


 	  Quote: 	
		     Last Radio Cont:

   Last Clearance:



   FAA FSDO: SAN ANTONIO, TX  (SW17)               Entry date: 10/23/2006

amyvega2005(at)earthlink.
Guest

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 3:04 pm Post subject: 601HD accident

Thank God they are OK, glad to see it was well built per the designs.  That is the second crash I have heard of engine problems and the Zenith design allowed the pilot to walk away.  



Juan



--

pacificpainting(at)comcas
Guest

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 3:23 pm Post subject: 601HD accident

Probably shouldn't bring this up, but I wonder how his seat belt brackets 

held up?

---

matthew(at)mucker.net
Guest

Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 6:06 pm Post subject: 601HD accident

Personally, I think that's a perfectly acceptable topic to bring up.

[quote] --

Geoff Heap

Joined: 12 Jan 2006
Posts: 266
Location: Lindenwold, New Jersey

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 5:33 am Post subject: Re: 601HD accident

Seconded......Geoff

do not archive

n282rs(at)earthlink.net
Guest

Posted: Sat Oct 28, 2006 3:33 pm Post subject: 601HD accident

I saw Don Copeland at the  airport today. He was sitting there staring at remains of his plane, trying  to figure out what he could have done different to make the outcome be better.  Good thing is that everyone walked away. His injuries were only minor. He seems  more depressed than anything. I think he'll be ok as he says he wants another  one. He seemed to be amazed at how well the plane took the beating and not  the occupants.

  

 All of the damage is on the  left side where he had hit some posts in the ground.  The 3 blade prop only  had one blade left. The left main gear broke at the weld. The bungee on both  mains appeared to have broken. The left wing was damaged near the tip. The  horizontal stab tip was gone, and it appears that stabilizer mounts were  broken too.  We pulled the engine through and there is a definite loss of  compression on one of the cylinders. The seatbelt attachments were still  intact.

  

 Don said the FAA was coming  to pick up his plane next week. It appears they are going to seize the plane.  While I would be wiling to participate in an accident investigation, I'd be hot  over them taking the plane away. I guess it really doesn't matter since the  insurance totaled it. I know insurance will take it if it has been totaled.  That's generally the agreement for them paying you for the value of the plane,  but I didn't know the FAA could just seize it.

  

 This plane is registered as  an HD, but was the first prototype for the HDS. Don had just bought it a couple  of months ago.

  

  

Randy Stout

San Antonio  TX

www.geocities.com/r5t0ut21

n282rs at earthlink.net  

  

  

  

 >>Built by David Taylor, registered  to 

 	  Quote: 	
		  >Donald E Copeland on  9-27-2006. 


	


 	  Quote: 	
		  >Any  information besides this? 

>IDENTIFICATION 

>Regis#: 143DT Make/Model: EXP  Description: ZODIAC 601HD EXP 

>Date: 10/21/2006 Time:  2130 


	


 	  Quote: 	
		  >Event Type:  Accident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N 

>Damage: Destroyed  


	




   [quote][b]

Gig Giacona

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 1416
Location: El Dorado Arkansas USA

Posted: Sat Oct 28, 2006 4:37 pm Post subject: Re: 601HD accident

I'm surprised the FAA wants the plane considering there were no fatalities. Has the DAR that signed the plane off had any other planes crash within the last couple of years?

_________________
W.R. "Gig" Giacona
601XL Under Construction
See my progress at www.peoamerica.net/N601WR

n282rs(at)earthlink.net
Guest

Posted: Sat Oct 28, 2006 6:08 pm Post subject: 601HD accident

I don't know. He had bought the plane from someone else a couple of months

ago. I assume he bought it from David Taylor who is the orginal builder.



Randy Stout

San Antonio TX

www.geocities.com/r5t0ut21

n282rs at earthlink.net 



--

craig(at)craigandjean.com
Guest

Posted: Sat Oct 28, 2006 6:25 pm Post subject: 601HD accident

Randy, when do you hope to be back in the air? Or is that a sore subject?



-- Craig

heliav8r(at)swbell.net
Guest

Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2006 10:09 am Post subject: 601HD accident

What most people don't realize is that, in the case of an aircraft  accident (but not an aircraft incident), control of the aircraft is  immediately assumed by the Federal Government, in the persona of the National  Transportation Safety Board.  The FAA is acting for the NTSB in this  case.

  

 After a portion of the investigation is complete, the FAA (NTSB)  may release the aircraft or portions thereof, generally, to the insurance  company or other "owner" of the aircraft.  Some parts, pieces, etc. may be  retained by the NTSB as evidence or for further evaluation.

  

 [quote]   ---

marinegunner(at)gmail.com
Guest

Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2006 3:22 pm Post subject: 601HD accident

DO NOT ARCHIVE,

 Like everything else that some get ticked off at, you get what you elect. ie: The tremendous involvement of the TSA with people's personal lives, etc - especially by people who do not know what they are doing. Some of what we as a society get is just what the German society got during the 1930's - leading to a downfall of the society at the benefit of the few. Our (US) government has far to much control and say in individual lives. 



-- 

Semper Fi,

Steven R. Hulland

CH 600 Taildragger

Amado, AZ



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  [quote][b]

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