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TERRENCE'S WEB SITE
Welcome to my airplane builder’s-log website. I am building a Zenith 601XL from a complete kit delivered in February, 2007. I originally wanted to build a Cozy. But I decided I’d rather spend my retirement flying than building, so I set my sights on the RV-9A. Then I decided that light sport was the way to go. In the Fall 2006 time-frame the Zenair 601XL looked to me to offer the best combination of performance, building ease, proven design, and value. I visited the factory in Mexico, MO for a demo flight and committed to the 601XL. A glance at my builder's log reveals that precious little has been done since April 6, 2008. There is a reason for that. On April 7, 2008, a 601XL lost a wing and crashed near Polk City, FL. That was the 4th 601XL wing loss accident since February 2006. I decided that I could not continue building until the cause for these accidents was determined, and something was developed to eliminate the problem. Since the Polk City accident, five more 601XL's have lost a wing in flight, confirming (in my mind, at least) the correctness of my decision to halt my build. Since then, I have devoted my building time to facilitating an independent engineering analysis of the 601XL through the auspices of the Zenith Builders Analysis Group (ZBAG). Twenty-nine other builders joined me to make ZBAG happen. This writeup is being revised in 11/09. Much has happened in the 10 months since my previous revision. After the Antelope Island accident on March 3, the NTSB issued a safety recommendation that the FAA ground all 601XL's. The FAA chose to ignore the NTSB's recommendation, but the FAA did convene a committee to review the 601XL design. In September, the NTSB published three documents containing convincing evidence for the occurrence of flutter in six of the nine 601XL wing loss accidents. The most recent accident occurred on November 6 in Agnos, AR. Immediately following the Agnos accident the FAA issued a Special Airworthiness Bulletin, CE-10-08, recommending that all owners of 601XL's and 650's ground their airplanes until they comply with a forthcoming Safety Directive / Safety Alert from Zenair. Subsequently, on Nov. 12, the FAA issued a directive to, "suspend the issuance of new airworthiness certificates to any and all variants of Zodiac CH601XL and CH650 airplanes," until, "such time that the applicant submits adequate evidence that the applicant's aircraft has been modified in a manner consistent with," "AMD Safety Directive/Alert ... issued on November 7,2009." Zenair have announced a series of design changes to the 601XL pursueant to the Safety Directive/Alert. The details are not yet final (as of 11/21/09), but the changes appear to address most of my concerns regarding the 601XL design. I remain committed to my 601XL. I plan to implement the design changes when they are finalized, and to continue my build. I still believe that Zenith Aircraft offer the most bang for the buck in the homebuilt Light Sport market. I am confident that, as modified, the 601XL will be just as safe as most other LSA kit aircraft. I commend Zenair for moving to address the problems with the 601XL aircraft.
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