Pilot Debrief

Kitfox 2 near Cave Junction, OR — 2023-06-24

Final reportWPR23LA243
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Date
2023-06-24
Location
Cave Junction, OR, USA
Airport
3S4
Aircraft
Kitfox 2
Registration
N729U
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Takeoff roll

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain proper airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he was departing at the time of the accident. As the airplane became airborne, it climbed to about 30 ft above ground level and the pilot was applying left rudder to counteract the torque from the engine. The airplane entered an aerodynamic stall and began an uncommanded left turn. The pilot did not have enough altitude to recover and the airplane continued to turn left. The right wing struck a tree and the airplane impacted the ground and came to rest upright. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A postaccident examination revealed that there was no evidence of a mechanical malfunction and all control linkages were intact and operational.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted takeoff after detecting stall risk.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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