Combs Earl W KITFOX SPEEDSTER accident near Elephant Butte, NM
On May 1, 2011, a Combs Earl W KITFOX SPEEDSTER (airplane) was involved in an accident near Elephant Butte, NM. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 1, 2011
- Place
- Elephant Butte, NM
- Aircraft
- Combs Earl W KITFOX SPEEDSTER · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.234°N, 107.244°W
- NTSB ID
- 20110501X72207
Official records · CEN11FA312
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 1, 2011, about 1215 Mountain Daylight Time, a Kitfox Speedster, experimental amateur-built single-engine airplane, N89MM, sustained substantial damage when it impacted hilly terrain near Elephant Butte, New Mexico. The commercial pilot on board the airplane was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to the pilot and was being operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a visual flight rules flight plan was not filed. The local flight originated from the Truth or Consequences Municipal Airport (TCS), Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, about 1145. Two witnesses traveling together north on the nearby interstate highway reported seeing the airplane just before the accident. One witness said he saw the airplane “suddenly roll and dive towards the ground.” The other witness said she saw the airplane pitch up and fall over to the right, and then spiral toward the ground. Both witnesses stated that the airplane was traveling south at about 1,000 feet above the ground when the airplane suddenly pitched up. Both witnesses also said that they did not see any fire or smoke prior to them losing sight of the airplane in the terrain. They then saw a plume of smoke rising from behind a hill off the right side of the highway. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 78, held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single engine land, airplane single-engine sea, airplane multi-engine land and instrument airplane ratings. The pilot also held a flight instructor cert
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of control of the airplane for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
More accidents in NM
- Gates Learjet 25D, Sep 5, 1993
- Piper PA-32-300, Dec 26, 1982
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-30, Jun 25, 1992
- Cessna 421C, Feb 11, 1985
- Beech 58, Mar 26, 1982
Browse: New Mexico
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
