Beauchamp Norm KITFOX accident near Eloy, AZ
On December 8, 2023, a Beauchamp Norm KITFOX (airplane) was involved in an accident near Eloy, AZ. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 8, 2023
- Place
- Eloy, AZ
- Aircraft
- Beauchamp Norm KITFOX · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 32.783°N, 111.600°W
- NTSB ID
- 20231208193499
Official records · WPR24FA053
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 8, 2023, about 1329 Pacific standard time, an experimental amateur-built Series 5 Kitfox, N66180, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Eloy, Arizona. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot had flown from his home base of Ryan Field (RYN), Tucson, Arizona, earlier in the day to have lunch at the Eloy Municipal Airport (E60) restaurant. The pilot told a friend, who flew alongside him on the inbound flight in another airplane, that the flight was uneventful. The accident flight was to be the return leg to RYN. ADS-B data revealed that after takeoff from runway 20, the airplane climbed to about 2,450 ft mean sea level (900 ft above ground level) before making a left turn to the south. About that time, a witness just below the airplane’s flight path heard an engine “sputter” and then go quiet. He was not concerned with the lack of engine noise, because he assumed they were practicing engine-out procedures into the local field across from his house. He looked up and watched as white pieces fell from the airplane. The airplane continued to maintain a level flight attitude and he looked away. When he looked up again, he could see the airplane was rapidly descending in a nose-down attitude. It then struck the ground in the field across from his house and burst into flames. The airplane was not trailing smoke or vapors at any time before impact. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONConstruction of the airplane was completed in 2004. At that time, it was equippe
Probable cause
The separation of a propeller blade during the initial climb due to insufficient blade retention forces. Contributing to the accident was the propeller blade retention design, manufacturing defects that prevented the propeller from achieving adequate grip forces, the pilot’s decision to use the propeller with an untested engine combination, and the lack of initial and ongoing maintenance documenta
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Browse: Arizona
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
