# Accident 20240214001489A: Mark G Ellingson KITFOX IV, Mesa, AZ, February 14, 2024

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 14, 2024, 10:20 local time
- Place: Mesa, AZ
- Airport: Falcon Fld
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.4595° N, 111.7307° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.4595&lon=-111.7307&mi=10
- Aircraft: N25EN, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N25EN) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mark G Ellingson KITFOX IV (registry code 05641JC, https://openairdocs.org/model/mark-g-ellingson-kitfox-iv) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotax 912ULS series (registry code 55572, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-912uls-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MARK G ELLINGSON KITFOX IV
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 13,000 total, 33 in this make and model, 9 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR24LA097](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR24LA097) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240214001489A

## Narrative

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

MESA, AZ (FFZ): ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, KITFOX IV, FFZ-FFZ.  THE AIRCRAFT GROUND-LOOPED WHILE LANDING RUNWAY 4R. THE AIRCRAFT VEERED OFF TO THE LEFT WHILE ON THE RUNWAY.  THERE WERE 2 PEOPLE ON BOARD, AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES.  THE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIAL. ON 02/14/2024, AT 1720Z, 1020MST, WHILE ON ITS MAIDEN FLIGHT TEST, THE AIRCRAFT LANDED AND THE TAIL WHEEL BOUNCED SEVERAL TIMES, THE RIGHT WING DIPPED DOWN AND THEN CAME BACK LEVEL WITH ALL TIRES ON THE GROUND.  THE AIRCRAFT THEN VEERED AGGRESSIVELY TO THE LEFT AND OFF THE RUNWAY, LOOPING INTO THE FIELD.   THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON THE RIGHT WING, DAMAGING THE WING SPAR, WING COVERING, AND THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR.

## 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 WPR24LA097](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR24LA097), Feb 14, 2024: Mark G Ellingson Kitfox IV (N25EN), Mesa, AZ, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing.

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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