Kitfox KITFOX SPORT N702KS

Summary

On 12 July 2020 at about 14:30 local time, a Kitfox KITFOX SPORT registered N702KS was involved in an accident near Rand, Colorado, United States. One person was 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 July 2020 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Rand, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

40.5433, -106.1939

Aircraft

Kitfox KITFOX SPORT

Registration

N702KS

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

Granby → Walden

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20CA277

1 person had minor injuries.

The encounter with the downdrafts during the attempted takeoff, which resulted in decreased airplane's climb performance and subsequent impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during the flight he noticed the oil pressure gauge fluctuating and executed a precautionary landing to a road to examine the engine. He stated that after landing, he performed a walk around inspection of the airplane, which included looking for leaks and checking the oil level and security of the oil cap. Finding no anomalies, he proceeded to take off from the road. During takeoff and while the airplane was gaining airspeed in ground effect, the departure path went over a terrain depression and into a down sloping bowl; the airplane encountered a sudden sink/down flow of air and lost about 10-15 ft of altitude. The pilot attempted to turn toward lower terrain while maintaining airspeed but the sink/down flow of air continued and so he maneuvered to land the airplane in a meadow. Unable to reach the meadow, he turned the airplane into sloping terrain to minimize the impact energy. During the impact, the airplane sustained damage to both wings, the fuselage, and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions, and noted that the fluctuating oil pressure gauge was likely due to the sending unit location on the engine and associated vibration or a loose ground connection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.