Pank KitFox accident near Sprakers, NY

On July 3, 2002, a Pank KitFox (airplane) was involved in an accident near Sprakers, NY. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

July 3, 2002

Place

Sprakers, NY

Aircraft

Pank KitFox · Airplane

Injuries

1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

42.891°N, 74.514°W

NTSB ID

20020722X01177

Official records · NYC02LA129

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

NTSB summary

On July 3, 2002, about 1830 eastern daylight time, an unregistered homebuilt KitFox airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain while in the traffic pattern at a private airstrip near Sprakers, New York. The non-certificated pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local personal flight that departed from the private airstrip. No flight plan was filed and the flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to a witness who helped build the airplane, he arrived at the pilot's farm on the day of the accident about 0900, to prepare the airplane for an engine run and possible taxi test. About 1300, the airplane was removed from the shop where it was built, and the pilot taxied it to a 1,700-foot long grass runway located on his property. The pilot taxied the airplane for about 30 minutes. Afterwards, he advised the witness that the seat would dislodge from the seat channels whenever pressure was applied to both pedals. The witness determined that a wooden cover installed over the base of the control stick was interfering with the seat, so he removed the cover. The pilot restarted the engine, and resumed taxiing the airplane. After approximately 15 minutes, the pilot taxied up to the witness, and told him he was "going to go for it," which surprised him because he did not think the pilot had planned to fly the airplane that day. The pilot taxied the airplane onto runway 27, engine noise increased, and the airplane accelerated down the runway. The airplane did four right traffic patterns. During all the traffic patterns, b

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in category of aircraft.

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.