Harms KITFOX SERIES 5 N40120
5 October 2005 · La Porte, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 5 October 2005 at about 18:30 local time, a Harms KITFOX SERIES 5 registered N40120, operated by Robert Harms, was involved in an accident near La Porte, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- La Porte, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- La Porte Municipal Airport (T41)
- Coordinates
- 29.6708, -95.0642
- Aircraft
- Harms KITFOX SERIES 5
- Registration
- N40120
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Robert Harms
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- La Porte → La Porte
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DFW06CA003
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to obtain/maintain adequate airspeed on takeoff, which resulted in two hard landings and subsequent loss of control.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The private pilot had recently built the tailwheel-equipped experimental airplane and had accrued approximately 20 hours (all flight instruction) in the airplane. A commercial pilot accompanied the pilot on the flight. During takeoff from Runway 12 (4,165-foot long by 75-foot wide asphalt runway), the airplane became airborne briefly and then settled back on to the runway, followed by a couple of hard bounces. Following the second bounce, the left main landing gear wheel separated and the airplane ground-looped. The airplane then rolled to the right, exited the runway, and nosed over. The pilot reported a total of 70 flight hours, but had not flown since 1951. A review of FAA records revealed that the commercial rated pilot held a flight instructor rating; however, it had expired in 2004. Examination of the airplane revealed no pre-mishap discrepancies. The winds at the time of the mishap were reported from 100 degrees at 7 knots.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Feb 2005 | Beechcraft BE77 | Angleton, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 May 2005 | Stearman D75 | Taylor, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 May 2005 | Beechcraft A36 | Arcola, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Dec 2005 | Mooney M20J | San Antonio, Texas, United States | John Hermann | No injuries | - |
| 29 May 2005 | Cessna R182 | Roanoke, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Apr 2005 | Cessna 172N | Olney, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |