- Date
- August 1, 2023, 19:22 local (23:22 UTC)
- Place
- Scottsburg, IN
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N815USGeorge Stone KIT FOX Model 3
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration, Indianapolis FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230801014469A
- Case key
- 192937
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
The student pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control after takeoff that resulted in an impact with terrain.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The student pilot attempted a personal flight in an airplane that did not have an airworthiness certificate. Additionally, he did not have any required student pilot solo endorsements for solo flight. A witness to the accident flight stated that the student pilot performed a successful airplane runup before takeoff. During the takeoff, the airplane lifted off when it was about halfway down the runway and climbed to about tree top level. A few seconds later, the right wing dropped, and the airplane descended into terrain in a nose-down attitude. The engine continued to operate after the impact until the witness turned the magnetos and fuel selector valve off. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane confirmed flight control continuity.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N815US
- Reported as
- George Stone KIT FOX Model 3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 815
- Airframe hours
- 4.1
- Engine
- Rotax 582 UL Mod 90, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- None
- Airport
- 3R8 · Honaker Field Airport, runway 2, 2,750 × 100 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 77
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Student
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- IMS, 16 nm away
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 7, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.