# Accident 20140927017969A: Tifft Frank KITFOX III, Lake Stevens, WA, September 27, 2014

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 27, 2014, 15:35 local time
- Place: Lake Stevens, WA
- Airport: Frontier Airpark
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 48.1139° N, 122.0625° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=48.1139&lon=-122.0625&mi=10
- Aircraft: N307KF, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N307KF-2018-03-23) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Tifft Frank KITFOX III (registry code 05624MT, https://openairdocs.org/model/tifft-frank-kitfox-iii) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Bombardier ROTAX (ALL) (registry code 09050, https://openairdocs.org/engine/bombardier-rotax-all) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: TIFFT FRANK KITFOX III
- Reported engine: BOMBARDIER ROTAX (ALL)
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR14FA393](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR14FA393) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140927017969A

## Narrative

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

ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2014, AT ABOUT 3:35 PDT, N307KF, TIFFT KITFOX III, AN AMATEUR-BUILT AIRCRAFT CRASHED FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL DURING INITIAL CLIMB-OUT AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AT FRONTIER AIRPARK (WN53), LAKE STEVENS, WASHINGTON. ACCORDING TO EYEWITNESSES, THE AIRCRAFT TOOK-OFF ON RUNWAY 34 AND LIFTED OFF  AT APPROXIMATELY 1/4 DOWN THE RUNWAY AND APPEARED TO BE CLIMBING AT A HIGH ANGLE OF ATTACK. THE AIRPLANE PROCEEDED NORTHBOUND ON IT'S INITIAL CLIMB-OUT. THE WINGS STARTED TO ROCK TO THE LEFT (WEST), THEN CORRECTED WITH THE FLAPERON INPUT TO THE RIGHT(EAST). THE AIRPLANE APPEARED HEAVY AND UNDERPOWERED AND WAS NOT CLIMBING WELL. UPON REACHING AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 200 AGL.  THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED TO PITCH TO AVOID THE TREES, THEN THE WINGS STARTED TO ROCK BACK AND FORTH AND THE RIGHT WING DROPPED CONSISTENT WITH THE STALL WITH A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. WITNESSES LOST SIGHT OF THE AIRPLANE AS IT DESCENDED FROM BEHIND THE TREES. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED AND CAME TO REST ON ITS NOSE AND LEFT WING WITH THE FUSELAGE ORIENTED IN THE TAIL UP POSITION ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE TAXIWAY.

## 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 WPR14FA393](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR14FA393), Sep 27, 2014: Tifft Kitfox III (N307KF), Lake Stevens, WA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during initial climb, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the…

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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