- Date
- May 26, 1996, 13:10 local (18:10 UTC)
- Place
- Bridgeport, AL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7030GSky Star Kitfox #1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 26, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960526011609A
- Case key
- 3729
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
loss of engine power for undetermined reason(s). Trees in the emergency landing area were a related factor.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot stated that the engine lost power during cruise flight. He then attempted a forced landing. During the forced landing, the right wing collided with a tree, and the airplane was damaged. No reason was found for the loss of engine power.
Factual narrative
On May 26, 1996, at 1310 central daylight time, a Smith Kitfox #1, N7030G, was substantially damaged during a forced landing at Bridgeport, Alabama. The commercial pilot was seriously injured and his passenger received minor injuries. The aircraft was being operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight.
The pilot reported that the engine lost power during cruise flight. The pilot attempted a forced landing. During the forced landing attempt the right wing collided with a tree, resulting in a loss of directional control and the airplane subsequently impacting terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7030G
- Reported as
- Sky Star Kitfox #1
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 117
- Airframe hours
- 140
- Engine
- Rotax 532LC, 64 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William C. Childs
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 1996 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- APT · Jasper, TN
- Destination
- AL
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 48
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 875 total · 8 in this make and model · 712 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CHA, 35 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.