Kolb Company FIRESTAR KXP accident near Cave Junction, OR
On March 7, 2024, a Kolb Company FIRESTAR KXP (airplane) was involved in an accident near Cave Junction, OR. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- March 7, 2024
- Place
- Cave Junction, OR
- Aircraft
- Kolb Company FIRESTAR KXP · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 42.112°N, 123.681°W
- NTSB ID
- 20240307193897
Official records · WPR24FA104
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On March 7, 2024, about 1124 Pacific standard time, a Kolb Firestar KXP airplane, N4443G, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Cave Junction, Oregon. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. Witnesses reported that the airplane departed on runway 36 for a local flight following the installation of an overhauled engine. The witnesses observed the airplane turn left to the northwest, at about 500 ft agl. The airplane continued to turn left in an approximate 30° to 40° bank to a southeast heading. One witness stated that they saw the airplane descend about 100 ft in a slightly nose-down pitch attitude before it entered a 90° nose-down attitude and descended towards the ground. The witness lost sight of the airplane before impact. According to witnesses, the light sport pilot had accumulated about 4,500 hours of flight time at the time of the accident. A review of the pilot’s logbook records indicated about 2,126 hours of total flight experience. Witnesses reported that the pilot displayed a positive attitude the morning of the accident and his behavior was not out of the ordinary. Examination of the accident site revealed that the main wreckage was located about 0.14 nautical miles northwest of the departure end of runway 36. The wreckage came to rest in an open field. The first identified point of contact was a tree with broken branches about 40 ft northwest of the main wreckage. Several broken branches were found adjacent to the tree. Ground scars were obser
Probable cause
The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during a turn, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's use of potentially impairing substances with bipolar disorder, which resulted in a decreased reaction time during a stall recovery at a low altitude.
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Browse: Oregon
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
