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20260119002369A

Accident · Minor damage
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FAA accident report · Mcdonald Frank G III Kitfox Series 7 · Reno, NV · January 19, 2026

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Date
January 19, 2026 · 10:00 local
Place
Reno, NV
Airport
Reno/Stead
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N592M
Reported as
Mcdonald Frank G III Kitfox Series 7
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s certificates
Private pilot, student
Pilot’s flight hours
354 total50 in this make and model113 in the last 90 days

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.

Pilot took off from krts at 8:30 local on runway 07 dirt planning to fly in local area for 2-3 hours. He initially flew 5 closed patterns on rwy 07 dirt with stop and go landings, departing on the left downwind to the w/nw. Followed the valley to antelope valley for some dirt landings. Executed a landing with no abnormalities. Tookoff and planned another landing to the same zone setting. On short final/flare pilot realized he was not going to touch down in the same area on the prior landing. He saw several large sticks from burnt bushes in his path along with a large mound of dirt. Pilot decided to execute a go around to avoid the obsticales. He added full power and slightly pulled back to follow the terrain up and out, but did not have the performance in the low energy landing state. He had a brief touchdown followed by his left wingtip dropping, contacting the ground causing the aircraft to turn 180 degrees horizontally. The prop struck and then the gear leg and tailwheel were pulled off of the fuselage. Pilot was able to get out of the aircraft through the door and walked away. Pilot walked .5 mi to a dirt road and was picked up by privacy data omitted and taken to hospital for medical care.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT TOOK OFF FROM KRTS AT 8:30 LOCAL ON RUNWAY 07 DIRT PLANNING TO FLY IN LOCAL AREA FOR 2-3 HOURS. HE INITIALLY FLEW 5 CLOSED PATTERNS ON RWY 07 DIRT WITH STOP AND GO LANDINGS, DEPARTING ON THE LEFT DOWNWIND TO THE W/NW. FOLLOWED THE VALLEY TO ANTELOPE VALLEY FOR SOME DIRT LANDINGS. EXECUTED A LANDING WITH NO ABNORMALITIES. TOOKOFF AND PLANNED ANOTHER LANDING TO THE SAME ZONE SETTING. ON SHORT FINAL/FLARE PILOT REALIZED HE WAS NOT GOING TO TOUCH DOWN IN THE SAME AREA ON THE PRIOR LANDING. HE SAW SEVERAL LARGE STICKS FROM BURNT BUSHES IN HIS PATH ALONG WITH A LARGE MOUND OF DIRT. PILOT DECIDED TO EXECUTE A GO AROUND TO AVOID THE OBSTICALES. HE ADDED FULL POWER AND SLIGHTLY PULLED BACK TO FOLLOW THE TERRAIN UP AND OUT, BUT DID NOT HAVE THE PERFORMANCE IN THE LOW ENERGY LANDING STATE. HE HAD A BRIEF TOUCHDOWN FOLLOWED BY HIS LEFT WINGTIP DROPPING, CONTACTING THE GROUND CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO TURN 180 DEGREES HORIZONTALLY. THE PROP STRUCK AND THEN THE GEAR LEG AND TAILWHEEL WERE PULLED OFF OF THE FUSELAGE. PILOT WAS ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT THROUGH THE DOOR AND WALKED AWAY. PILOT WALKED .5 MI TO A DIRT ROAD AND WAS PICKED UP BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND TAKEN TO HOSPITAL FOR MEDICAL CARE.