20140901023159A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Lorenz Stephen KITFOX - SERIES 5 · Greene, NY · September 1, 2014

Date: September 1, 2014 · 12:15 local
Place: Greene, NY
Airport: Greene
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N94SL
NTSB investigation: NTSBERA14LA418
Reported as: Lorenz Stephen Kitfox - Series 5
Reported engine: Amateur-built NSI PROPULSION SYS - SUBURU
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 1
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,300 total2 in this make and model2 in the last 90 days

N94SLRegistration cancelled Apr 4, 2018 · Lorenz Stephen KITFOX - SERIES 5S/N S 94 11 0062 · Built 2002 Airframe modelLorenz Stephen KITFOX - SERIES 5 Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

After making several high speed taxis on the grass runway, the pilot was observed to proceed down the runway and takeoff. Witnesses described the sound of the aircraft's engine as having a surging characteristic. Shortly after becoming airborne, the aircraft made a sharp bank to the right, and then leveled, climbing very slowly. The aircraft was then observed to bank sharply to the left and descend into a field adjacent to the airport. A loud noise was heard by witnesses, followed almost immediately by the sight of a rising plume of smoke. Witnesses proceeded to the crash site and assisted the pilot from the wreckage.

As the FAA filed it

AFTER MAKING SEVERAL HIGH SPEED TAXIS ON THE GRASS RUNWAY, THE PILOT WAS OBSERVED TO PROCEED DOWN THE RUNWAY AND TAKEOFF. WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE SOUND OF THE AIRCRAFT'S ENGINE AS HAVING A SURGING CHARACTERISTIC. SHORTLY AFTER BECOMING AIRBORNE, THE AIRCRAFT MADE A SHARP BANK TO THE RIGHT, AND THEN LEVELED, CLIMBING VERY SLOWLY. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN OBSERVED TO BANK SHARPLY TO THE LEFT AND DESCEND INTO A FIELD ADJACENT TO THE AIRPORT. A LOUD NOISE WAS HEARD BY WITNESSES, FOLLOWED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY BY THE SIGHT OF A RISING PLUME OF SMOKE. WITNESSES PROCEEDED TO THE CRASH SITE AND ASSISTED THE PILOT FROM THE WRECKAGE.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ERA14LA418Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportGreene, NYThe pilot’s failure to attain adequate airspeed during the initial climb, which resulted in an exceedance of the wing’s critical angle-of-attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s lack of experience in the…Sep 1, 2014 · Destroyed