# Accident 20230624007889A: Unger John L KITFOX II, Cave Junction, OR, June 24, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 24, 2023, 09:17 local time
- Place: Cave Junction, OR
- Airport: Illinois Valley Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.0740° N, 123.7248° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.0740&lon=-123.7248&mi=10
- Aircraft: N729U, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N729U) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Unger John L KITFOX II (registry code 05618S8, https://openairdocs.org/model/unger-john-l-kitfox-ii) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Bombardier ROTAX (ALL) (registry code 09050, https://openairdocs.org/engine/bombardier-rotax-all) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: UNGER JOHN L KITFOX II
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Sport pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 141 total, 24 in this make and model, 3 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR23LA243](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR23LA243) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230624007889A

## Narrative

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

ON THE DAY PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT THE PILOT FLEW FROM OG31 TO 3S4 AND THEN PRACTICED LANDINGS, SLIPS, AND GROUND CONTROL WITH NO NOTED ISSUES.

ON THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT, AFTER PRE-FLIGHTING THE AIRCRAFT, THE PILOT TAXIED TO RUNWAY 18, TURNED AROUND AND TAXIED TO RUNWAY 36 WHERE HE COMPLETED A RUNUP CHECK.  ON TAKE OFF FROM RUNWAY 36, THE ROLLOUT WAS STRAIGHT AND THE AIRCRAFT LIFTED OFF NORMALLY.  AT APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO TURN LEFT.  THE PILOT APPLIED RIGHT FLAPERON AND RIGHT RUDDER TO COUNTER THE TURN BUT INPUTS HAD NO EFFECT.  AS THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED ITS LEFT TURN AND NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE, THE RIGHT WING HIT A TREE WHICH SPUN THE AIRCRAFT SIDEWAYS TO THE RIGHT.  THE PILOT LANDED ON THE GEAR SIDEWAYS WHICH TORE THE GEAR OUT FROM UNDER THE PLANE AND IT CAME TO REST WITH THE FUSELAGE UPRIGHT.

## 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 WPR23LA243](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR23LA243), Jun 24, 2023: Kitfox 2 (N729U), Cave Junction, OR, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain proper airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic 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.

---
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.