Kitfox S5 N88VJ

Summary

On 4 November 2023 at about 20:00 local time, a Kitfox S5 registered N88VJ was involved in an accident near Ririe, Idaho, 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

4 November 2023 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Ririe, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

43.4849, -111.7610

Aircraft

Kitfox S5

Registration

N88VJ

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

Rigby → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR24LA027

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadvertent excessive use of brakes which resulted in a nose-over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane intended to spend the day practicing takeoffs and landings at multiple remote backcountry sites with a group of three other similar airplanes. He practiced at the original departure airport before the other group arrived and reported that those flights were nominal. The group then departed for the first intended destination, which was a flat landing site surrounded by tall grass and brush. Those landings were uneventful, so the group decided to proceed to another close landing spot. This landing area appeared wider and flatter than the previous, however the grass was taller and thicker, such that the ground was obscured. The first airplane landed uneventfully, and the accident pilot decided that rather than landing he would perform a touch-and-go, with the wheels touching the grass so he could assess the conditions. As the pilot began to flare the airplane, he decided that it was safe to proceed with a full-stop landing. As the wheels touched the ground, it became apparent that the surface was much rougher than he anticipated, and the airplane bounced after the main wheels touched two large rocks 200 ft into the ground roll. The pilot retracted the flaperons and as the airplane decelerated the nose began to drop, even though he was holding the control stick full aft. The pilot stated that he was likely inadvertently applying brake pressure as he pushed against the rudder pedals to pull back further on the control stick, and that this may have exacerbated the pitch down motion. The airplane then nosed over. The airplane came to rest inverted and sustained substantial damage to both wing struts and multiple wing ribs.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.