Sheaffer Leroy B KITFOX MODEL IV accident near Palmyra, PA
On July 19, 2024, a Sheaffer Leroy B KITFOX MODEL IV (airplane) was involved in an accident near Palmyra, PA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 19, 2024
- Place
- Palmyra, PA
- Aircraft
- Sheaffer Leroy B KITFOX MODEL IV · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 40.288°N, 76.577°W
- NTSB ID
- 20240722194742
Official records · ERA24LA316
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On July 19, 2024, about 1430 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Kitfox Model IV, N788KF, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Palmyra, Pennsylvania. The pilot incurred minor injuries, and the pilot-rated passenger was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot was taking off from runway 31, a 40-ft-wide asphalt runway. He reported that just as he lifted the tailwheel off the ground the airplane immediately turned hard left and departed the side of the runway. The airplane bounced hard and fractured the right main landing gear before coming to rest upright in a corn field. The pilot stated that there was a right crosswind at the time of departure, and the passenger had commented that the right wing lifted as soon as the tailwheel came off the ground. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and left wing. Flight control continuity was established to all flight controls. The right main landing gear was fractured off the strut and the brake line was severed. The left main landing gear was intact. Both wheels spun freely, and the brakes were not seized up. The inspector reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions.
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the tailwheel airplane during takeoff from a narrow runway with a crosswind, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with terrain.
More accidents in PA
- Boeing B-737-300, Sep 8, 1994
- Boeing 757, Sep 11, 2001
- British Aerospace J-3101, May 21, 2000
- Bell UH-1N, May 29, 2008
- Beech A36, Jul 30, 1989
Browse: Pennsylvania
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
