# Accident 19980819021309A: Amtr KITFOX41200, Granby, NY, August 19, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 19, 1998, 11:25 local time
- Place: Granby, NY
- Airport: Private
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: In Traffic Pattern-Circling
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 43.3104° N, 76.4107° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.3104&lon=-76.4107&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4038T, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4038T-2000-03-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Kite Peter R KITFOX IV 1200 (registry code 05625SV, https://openairdocs.org/model/kite-peter-r-kitfox-iv-1200) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR KITFOX41200
- Reported engine: ROTAX ROTAX912UL
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 10,000 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC98LA170](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98LA170) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980819021309A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ACFT CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA. (-23) ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1998, AT 11:30 EDT, N4038T, KITFOX, S/N 1891, DEPARTED A GRASS STRIP IN GRANBY, NEW YORK. SHORTLY AFTER TAKE-OFF, THE AIRCRAFT APPPARENTLY LOST POWER, THEN TURNED TWO DESCENDING RIGHT-HAND TURNS. THE AIRCRAFT MADE CONTACT WITH TREES AND THEN STRUCK THE GROUND. AN ELEVATOR TRIM TAB HAD BEEN ADDED TO THE AIRCRAFT PRIOR TO THE MAINTENANCE CHECK FLIGHT. THE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED, AND THE PASSENGER IS IN SERIOUS CONDITION. THIS ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION IS CONSIDERED CLOSED. (.4) THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRPLANE WAS MODIFIED WITH THE ADDITION OF AN ELEVATOR TRIM TAB AND MANUAL COCKPIT CONTROL FOR THE ELEVATOR TRIM TAB. ON THE FIRST FLIGHT FOLLOWING INSTALLATION, THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED TO DEPART, TURNED CROSSWIND AND DOWNWIND AS THOUGH RETURNING FOR A LANDING. DURING THE RIGHT TURN FROM DOWNWIND TO BASE, THE AIRPLANE NOSE DIVED INTO TREES. THE PIC WAS FATALLY INJURED, AND THE OWNER/PILOT IN THE RIGHT SEAT HAD NO MEMORY OF THE ACCIDENT OR EVENTS LEADING TO IT. THE ELEVATOR TRIM WAS FOUND WITH THE TRAILING EDGE DOWN, AND THE CABLE WOULD SLIP WHERE IT ATTACHED TO THE COCK                                                              PIT CONTROL LEVER. THE AIRPLANE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED AND A NEW SPECIAL AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE WAS NOT ISSUED AS REQUIRED BY THE EXPERIMENTAL OPERATION LIMITATIONS.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB NYC98LA170](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98LA170), Aug 19, 1998: Kite Kitfox IV 1200 (N4038T), Granby, NY, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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