Park Roderic B KITFOX IV N70265

Summary

On 29 March 2025 at about 16:45 local time, a Park Roderic B KITFOX IV registered N70265 was involved in an accident near Marana, Arizona, 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

29 March 2025 at 16:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Marana, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

32.4102, -111.2202

Aircraft

Park Roderic B KITFOX IV

Registration

N70265

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

Marana → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR25LA123

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from an obstacle while performing an off-airport landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he departed a private airstrip the morning of the accident and flew to a nearby public airport. After performing several touch-and-go takeoffs and landings in the traffic pattern, he departed the traffic pattern to continue the flight. He opted to perform an off-airport landing in an open dirt field at a state park. After one reconnaissance pass, he verified that the intended touchdown area appeared flat and smooth except for a few obstacles, one of which included a dead tree stump on the left side of the rollout path. During the three-point touchdown, the airplane drifted left. As the pilot attempted to correct the drift, the airplane aligned directly with the stump. The left main gear struck the stump, shearing the wheel assembly at the axle, which dug into the dirt. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted, facing the opposite direction, which resulted in substantial damage to the rudder and fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.