Pruss Richard S KITFOX IV N921RP

Summary

On 7 June 2016 at about 15:20 local time, a Pruss Richard S KITFOX IV registered N921RP was involved in an accident near De Smet, South Dakota, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 June 2016 at 15:20

Classification

Accident

Location

De Smet, South Dakota, United States

Coordinates

44.2856, -97.4592

Aircraft

Pruss Richard S KITFOX IV

Registration

N921RP

Category

Airplane

Year built

1991

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

De Smet → De Smet

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN16FA209

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle-of-attack during a steep turn at a low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin at too low of an altitude to recover.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a personal local flight, the private pilot and passenger, who held a student pilot certificate, were searching a lake for a submerged boat. The passenger stated that while maneuvering at a low altitude, the pilot banked the airplane about 45 to 60 degrees at an airspeed of about 50 miles per hour. During the turn, the airplane stalled, entered a spin, and impacted the water. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. Data from a GPS unit recovered from the airplane indicated that the airplane was about 250 ft above ground level at a ground speed of about 34 knots when it stalled. Based on the passenger's statements and the GPS data, it is likely that the pilot failed to maintain adequate airspeed and exceeded the airplane's critical angle-of-attack while maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin from which he had insufficient altitude to recover.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.