Kitfox SERIES 5 N743JT

Summary

On 5 April 2024 at about 03:00 local time, a Kitfox SERIES 5 registered N743JT was involved in an accident near Yucca Grove, California, 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

5 April 2024 at 03:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Yucca Grove, California, United States

Coordinates

35.4370, -115.6904

Aircraft

Kitfox SERIES 5

Registration

N743JT

Category

Airplane

Year built

1998

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Upland → Las Vegas

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR24LA121

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper repair of the oil sump, which resulted in a loss of oil pressure and collision with terrain during a precautionary landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported the engine run-up and takeoff were normal. While in cruise flight the pilot noticed a slight drop in oil pressure. With no increase in oil temperature or other engine warnings he decided to continue the flight while monitoring the engine parameters. A short time later the oil pressure began to drop at a faster rate. He decided to perform a precautionary landing. He shut down the engine and configured the airplane for landing on a highway service road, but while on approach he noticed the landing area was obstructed by light poles. He maneuvered the airplane towards an adjacent dirt field; however, the terrain was much rougher than anticipated, and the airplane nosed over during roll out after striking scrub brush. The engine’s oil sump had a crack in its mounting flange that resulted in a loss of oil on previous flights, but not at a significant rate. The crack was then improperly repaired by the pilot, who used epoxy putty to seal it rather than having it welded or replaced. During the accident flight, which was the first since the repair, the crack propagated beyond the putty fill area and the putty unbonded, resulting in most of the engine oil being expelled out of the crack.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.