Kitfox 2 N729U

Summary

On 24 June 2023 at about 16:00 local time, a Kitfox 2 registered N729U was involved in an accident near Cave Junction, Oregon, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 June 2023 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Cave Junction, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Illinois Valley Airport (3S4)

Coordinates

42.0740, -123.7248

Aircraft

Kitfox 2

Registration

N729U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1992

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR23LA243

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain proper airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he was departing at the time of the accident. As the airplane became airborne, it climbed to about 30 ft above ground level and the pilot was applying left rudder to counteract the torque from the engine. The airplane entered an aerodynamic stall and began an uncommanded left turn. The pilot did not have enough altitude to recover and the airplane continued to turn left. The right wing struck a tree and the airplane impacted the ground and came to rest upright. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A postaccident examination revealed that there was no evidence of a mechanical malfunction and all control linkages were intact and operational.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.