N601BZ – SEWELL WILLIAM K ZODIAC 601 – 2016-03-29 NTSB Accident Report

On March 29, 2016, a Sewell William K ZODIAC 601 (N601BZ) was involved in an incident near Clarksville, VA. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff, which resulted in the airplane drifting to the left of the runway and impacting trees.

The pilot reported that during takeoff the airplane began to drift to the left immediately after rotation. The pilot further reported that he applied right aileron, but the drift continued and the airplane's left main landing gear struck a tree within a tree line about 100 feet to the left of the runway. After the impact, the airplane sank further into the trees and came to rest slightly nose high and left wing down.

The fuselage, both wings, and horizontal stabilizer were substantially damaged.

The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA16CA167. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N601BZ.