Fitt KITFOX N96KL
30 August 2007 · Diamond Springs, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 30 August 2007 at about 13:30 local time, a Fitt KITFOX registered N96KL was involved in an accident near Diamond Springs, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously 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 13:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Diamond Springs, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 38.6861, -120.8764
- Aircraft
- Fitt KITFOX
- Registration
- N96KL
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Cameron Park → Homedale
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA07LA245
People
2 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
Oil starvation during climb due to an unidentified piece of plastic material blocking an oil supply tube and the pilot's inadequate maintenance of the lubricating system. Contributing to the accident was the rough terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
After takeoff and during the initial climb the pilot observed a higher than normal engine temperature, followed by a zero oil pressure reading. Although the engine continued to run without interruption, the pilot elected to make a precautionary landing in a field clearing, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. The oil tank was disassembled during a post-accident examination of the engine and a foreign object, composed of a plastic material, was found plugged in the pickup portion of the oil supply tube. The pilot said that he had performed an engine oil change 5 days prior to the accident, and that during the oil change, he had disassembled and then reassembled the oil tank. The pilot reported that he did not know what the foreign object was or how it came to be lodged in the oil supply tube.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jun 2007 | Piper PA-28-180 | Rosamond, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 2007 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2C | Bridgeport, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 May 2007 | Schweizer SGS2-33A | Los Alamitos, California, United States | Civil Air Patrol - California Wing | No injuries | - |
| 25 May 2007 | Westland WASP HAS MK1 | Ramona, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Jul 2007 | Cessna 152 | Tracy, California, United States | California Airways | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 May 2007 | Skygear SKYGEAR | Chino, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |