What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) At 1415 on June 2, 2008 VFR conditions partly cloudy, with wind 12 knots from 180 a certificated experimental aircraft, kit fox, serial number S9909-0215, crashed in a field heading 268, contacted ground under high power, and 70 ft south of ave h, La Porte, Texas., aircraft flight was 30 to 45 minutes in the local flying area unk altitude, had returned to the La Porte Municipal (T41) left traffic pattern, 1/2 mile from runway 23 approach. Two souls onboard and two fatalities. First ground contact was rt landing gear and propeller tips. Hard ground contact followed 12 feet from initial contact when nose of aircraft hit ground in a nose low (15 degrees). Fuselage slid yaw left 90 degrees facing south, approx 16 feet to the west of initial ground contact. Forward cockpit attached to engine approx 2 ft from main fuselage. Top of cockpit stayed with fuselage, bottom of cockpit stayed with fwd fuselage and engine. Doors and seats, fabric skin burned away. No indication of in flight fire. Wings and stabilizer indicated strong downward forces. Left wing laying on fuselage. The aircraft had a wreckage area other than plexiglass concentrated in approx 50 sq feet. Post accident fire consumed aircraft. Right wing forward spar bent aft 45 degrees, aft spar sheared off at fuselage, no ribs remain all burned away, left wing bent aft and laying on fuselage, forward spar sheared off, with first two feet bent up and outboard, aft spar sheared, vertical and rudder bent 90 degrees to the right, elevator structure shows strong downward forces. Aircraft burned substantially. All wiring is burnt from the outside in. Flight controls damage from impact and post accident fire. Control column attached to engine and lower cockpit. Aileron tube sheared. Left stick melted. Right stick sheared. Stabilator control tube sheared and melted, tube attached at aft bellcrank, sheared 5 inches forward, then 2.5 ft of tube sheared at both ends, flaperon mixer (attached to fuselage), aileron tube sheared, left flaperon tube sheared, right flaperon torque tube sheared melted, wing fold pins present. Directinal cable attached to tail wheel sheared at lower cockpit. Fuel is auto gas, 83 ocatane. Estimated fuel onboard was at least 14 gallons, 10 gallons left wing tank, 3 gallons right wing and 1.5 gallons header tank. Landing gear, left sheared and melted, right missing. Instruments, airspeed showed 115 knots but damaged, altimeter was between 7 and 8 but very damaged, all other instruments totally destroyed by fire. Battery boxes fire damaged wires burnt from the outside. Pilot privacy data omitted occupied right seat, passenger privacy data omitted occupied left seat. Aircraft was on the pre-buy flight withprivacy data omitted the perspective buyer. Aircraft was on second flight of the day, with no airworthiness problems as reported by owner.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) AT 1415 ON JUNE 2, 2008 VFR CONDITIONS PARTLY CLOUDY, WITH WIND 12 KNOTS FROM 180 A CERTIFICATED EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT, KIT FOX, SERIAL NUMBER S9909-0215, CRASHED IN A FIELD HEADING 268, CONTACTED GROUND UNDER HIGH POWER, AND 70 FT SOUTH OF AVE H, LA PORTE, TEXAS., AIRCRAFT FLIGHT WAS 30 TO 45 MINUTES IN THE LOCAL FLYING AREA UNK ALTITUDE, HAD RETURNED TO THE LA PORTE MUNICIPAL (T41) LEFT TRAFFIC PATTERN, 1/2 MILE FROM RUNWAY 23 APPROACH. TWO SOULS ONBOARD AND TWO FATALITIES. FIRST GROUND CONTACT WAS RT LANDING GEAR AND PROPELLER TIPS. HARD GROUND CONTACT FOLLOWED 12 FEET FROM INITIAL CONTACT WHEN NOSE OF AIRCRAFT HIT GROUND IN A NOSE LOW (15 DEGREES). FUSELAGE SLID YAW LEFT 90 DEGREES FACING SOUTH, APPROX 16 FEET TO THE WEST OF INITIAL GROUND CONTACT. FORWARD COCKPIT ATTACHED TO ENGINE APPROX 2 FT FROM MAIN FUSELAGE. TOP OF COCKPIT STAYED WITH FUSELAGE, BOTTOM OF COCKPIT STAYED WITH FWD FUSELAGE AND ENGINE. DOORS AND SEATS, FABRIC SKIN BURNED AWAY. NO INDICATION OF IN FLIGHT FIRE. WINGS AND STABILIZER INDICATED STRONG DOWNWARD FORCES. LEFT WING LAYING ON FUSELAGE. THE AIRCRAFT HAD A WRECKAGE AREA OTHER THAN PLEXIGLASS CONCENTRATED IN APPROX 50 SQ FEET. POST ACCIDENT FIRE CONSUMED AIRCRAFT. RIGHT WING FORWARD SPAR BENT AFT 45 DEGREES, AFT SPAR SHEARED OFF AT FUSELAGE, NO RIBS REMAIN ALL BURNED AWAY, LEFT WING BENT AFT AND LAYING ON FUSELAGE, FORWARD SPAR SHEARED OFF, WITH FIRST TWO FEET BENT UP AND OUTBOARD, AFT SPAR SHEARED, VERTICAL AND RUDDER BENT 90 DEGREES TO THE RIGHT, ELEVATOR STRUCTURE SHOWS STRONG DOWNWARD FORCES. AIRCRAFT BURNED SUBSTANTIALLY. ALL WIRING IS BURNT FROM THE OUTSIDE IN. FLIGHT CONTROLS DAMAGE FROM IMPACT AND POST ACCIDENT FIRE. CONTROL COLUMN ATTACHED TO ENGINE AND LOWER COCKPIT. AILERON TUBE SHEARED. LEFT STICK MELTED. RIGHT STICK SHEARED. STABILATOR CONTROL TUBE SHEARED AND MELTED, TUBE ATTACHED AT AFT BELLCRANK, SHEARED 5 INCHES FORWARD, THEN 2.5 FT OF TUBE SHEARED AT BOTH ENDS, FLAPERON MIXER (ATTACHED TO FUSELAGE), AILERON TUBE SHEARED, LEFT FLAPERON TUBE SHEARED, RIGHT FLAPERON TORQUE TUBE SHEARED MELTED, WING FOLD PINS PRESENT. DIRECTINAL CABLE ATTACHED TO TAIL WHEEL SHEARED AT LOWER COCKPIT. FUEL IS AUTO GAS, 83 OCATANE. ESTIMATED FUEL ONBOARD WAS AT LEAST 14 GALLONS, 10 GALLONS LEFT WING TANK, 3 GALLONS RIGHT WING AND 1.5 GALLONS HEADER TANK. LANDING GEAR, LEFT SHEARED AND MELTED, RIGHT MISSING. INSTRUMENTS, AIRSPEED SHOWED 115 KNOTS BUT DAMAGED, ALTIMETER WAS BETWEEN 7 AND 8 BUT VERY DAMAGED, ALL OTHER INSTRUMENTS TOTALLY DESTROYED BY FIRE. BATTERY BOXES FIRE DAMAGED WIRES BURNT FROM THE OUTSIDE. PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ OCCUPIED RIGHT SEAT, PASSENGER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ OCCUPIED LEFT SEAT. AIRCRAFT WAS ON THE PRE-BUY FLIGHT WITH^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THE PERSPECTIVE BUYER. AIRCRAFT WAS ON SECOND FLIGHT OF THE DAY, WITH NO AIRWORTHINESS PROBLEMS AS REPORTED BY OWNER.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N40120 · 1
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