Pilot Debrief

Audenried Kitfox S7 SuperSport near Flanigan, NV — 2018-11-03

Final reportWPR19TA018
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Date
2018-11-03
Location
Flanigan, NV, USA
Aircraft
Audenried Kitfox S7 SuperSport
Registration
N13NZ
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Maneuvering

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a sharp turn at low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot reported that he took off from a dry lake bed with a second airplane for people on the ground to visually compare the two. After a normal flight, the second airplane landed. The pilot flew past the landing spot, pulled into a nose-high attitude, and made a rapid left turn. He pushed on the left rudder control, and the left wing stalled. The pilot attempted to recover from the stall; however, the airplane was at too low of an altitude to recover, and it impacted the ground in a nose-low attitude. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot failed to maintain airspeed during the sharp turn, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have avoided the rapid left turn to prevent stall.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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