# Accident 20240719011429A: Sheaffer Leroy B KITFOX MODEL IV, Palmyra, PA, July 19, 2024

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 19, 2024, 14:10 local time
- Place: Palmyra, PA
- Airport: Reigle Field
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Rotation
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.2875° N, 76.5770° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.2875&lon=-76.5770&mi=10
- Aircraft: N788KF, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N788KF) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Sheaffer Leroy B KITFOX MODEL IV (registry code 056289R, https://openairdocs.org/model/sheaffer-leroy-b-kitfox-model-iv) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotax 912ULS series (registry code 55572, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-912uls-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SHEAFFER LEROY B KITFOX MODEL IV
- Reported engine: ROTAX 912ULS SERIES
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 550 total, 224 in this make and model, 6 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA24LA316](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA24LA316) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240719011429A

## Narrative

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

THE AIRCRAFT ACCELERATED FOR TAKEOFF. IT VEERED OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY, SKIDDING INTO A CORNFIELD WHERE IT CAME TO REST. THE PASSENGER DIED ON JULY 26, 2024 FROM A HEART ATTACK; THIS ACCIDENT IS LISTED AS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO HIS PASSING.

## 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 ERA24LA316](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA24LA316), Jul 19, 2024: Sheaffer Leroy B Kitfox Model IV (N788KF), Palmyra, PA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the tailwheel airplane during takeoff from a narrow runway with a crosswind, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with terrain.

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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