# Incident 20110618012769I: Sauers Donald D KITFOX IV, Winfield, PA, June 18, 2011

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 18, 2011, 12:30 local time
- Place: Winfield, PA
- Airport: Sauers Haven Airport.
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.8839° N, 76.9800° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at SAUERS-HAVEN (4PA1), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.8839&lon=-76.9800&mi=10
- Aircraft: N562SF, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N562SF) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Sauers Donald D KITFOX IV (registry code 05620DL, https://openairdocs.org/model/sauers-donald-d-kitfox-iv) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Bombardier ROTAX (ALL) (registry code 09050, https://openairdocs.org/engine/bombardier-rotax-all) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SAUERS DONALD D KITFOX IV
- Reported engine: SUBARU EA81
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,000 total, 582 in this make and model, 1 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20110618012769I

## Narrative

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

THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED AN IN FLIGHT ENGINE FAILURE WHILE ON APPROACH. AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS MADE IN A FARM FIELD. THE AIRCRAFT PROPELLER, LANDING GEAR AND LEFT WING TIP WERE DAMAGED FROM THE HARD LANDING. NO INJURIES WERE RECEIVED. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION REVEALED THE DISTRIBUTOR ROTOR CONTACT HAD COME OFF, CAUSING A LOSS OF ENGINE IGNITION. THE PILOT, WHO WAS ALSO THE AIRCRAFT BUILDER, INSPECTED THE ENGINE TWO FLIGHT HOURS BEFORE THE FAILURE.THE OWNER IS REVISING THE ENGINE INSPECTION TO LIMIT THE LIFE OF THE DISTRIBUTOR CAP AND ROTOR DUE TO HEAT RELATED DETERIORATION. A MALFUNCTION OR DEFECT REPORT WAS SUBMITTED ON 7-6-2011, TO ALERT OWNERS OF SIMILAR DESIGNED AIRCRAFT.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.
