Lorenz Stephen KITFOX SERIES 5 N94SL

Summary

On 1 September 2014 at about 16:00 local time, a Lorenz Stephen KITFOX SERIES 5 registered N94SL was involved in an accident near Greene, New York, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 September 2014 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Greene, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Greene Airport (4N7)

Coordinates

42.2986, -75.7928

Aircraft

Lorenz Stephen KITFOX SERIES 5

Registration

N94SL

Category

Airplane

Year built

2002

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Greene → Greene

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA418

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to attain adequate airspeed during the initial climb, which resulted in an exceedance of the wing’s critical angle-of-attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s lack of 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 private pilot, who had no previous experience in the airplane make and model, had purchased it about 1 year earlier and then stored it in his garage until the day of the accident. On the day of the accident, the pilot added 4 gallons of gas; he subsequently started the engine, taxied the airplane, and conducted engine run-ups for about 30 minutes to familiarize himself with the airplane. He powered up the engine three or four times, and during the last power up, the airplane lifted off. The pilot reported that he then attempted a three-point landing; this is all that he remembered about the accident sequence. A witness reported that, after takeoff, the airplane "jerked" right and that the power settings changed. The airplane then "straightened out and smoothed out" and then continued to climb slowly to about 200 ft above the ground, at which point it banked "hard" left and then descended to impact. Another witness reported that the airplane "tipped" and "stalled" before its descent. A postcrash fire ensued, which consumed most of the airplane. No preexisting mechanical anomalies were found that would have precluded normal operation, and the pilot reported no preexisting mechanical malfunctions or failures. Wind recorded at an airport about 10 miles from the departure airport about the time of the accident was from the direction of takeoff at 4 knots, and a witness noted that both windsocks were "dead" at the accident airport.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.