Bowles Chris KITFOX 5 N903XC

Summary

On 12 June 2012 at about 15:30 local time, a Bowles Chris KITFOX 5 registered N903XC was involved in an accident near Owenton, Kentucky, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 June 2012 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Owenton, Kentucky, United States

Nearest airport

Owen Air Park (0KY0)

Coordinates

38.6228, -84.7789

Aircraft

Bowles Chris KITFOX 5

Registration

N903XC

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Owenton → Owenton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12CA392

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to attain the proper airspeed during takeoff, and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action, which resulted in a loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's lack of previous experience in the airplane make and model.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot, who was the owner of the tail-wheel-equipped airplane, was on an instructional flight to obtain a tailwheel endorsement. The pilot reported that the airplane experienced a sudden gust of wind just after liftoff and that he overcorrected, which caused the airplane to stall and settle back onto the runway. The flight instructor reported that the pilot abruptly pulled back on the control stick when the airplane accelerated to 50 to 55 mph during the takeoff roll. The airplane climbed about 5 feet above the ground and stalled. He assumed control of the airplane; however, it departed the left side of the runway and sustained substantial damage to the firewall and fuselage before it came to rest. After the accident, both pilots reported that the airplane did not experience any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported 372 hours of total flight experience, which included 12 hours in the accident airplane during the 30 days preceding the accident. He further reported that the airplane's takeoff speed should have been 65 mph. The flight instructor had no previous flight experience in the airplane make and model. If he had experience in the airplane make and model, he would have been more familiar with its flying characteristics and been able to anticipate and correct the problem earlier.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.