- Date
- October 9, 2001, 12:11 local (17:11 UTC)
- Place
- Tomahawk, WI
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1195FKainz Kitfox IV
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 2, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20011009030539A
- Case key
- 53600
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 inadvertent stall/spin encountered by the pilot during a slow flight maneuver. Factors relating to this accident were the low airspeed and the trees.
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 said while he was at 3,000 feet and conducting a slow flight maneuver, the airplane's right wing dropped suddenly and the airplane entered a spin. The pilot said he tried to recover but couldn't stop the right turning spin. The pilot said that about 2 1/2 spins from the tree tops, he pulled back on the stick. The airplane's nose came up and slowed just prior to the impact with the trees. An examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.
Factual narrative
On October 9, 2001, at 1211 central daylight time, a Kainz Kitfox IV, N1195F, piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed when it departed controlled flight and impacted trees and the ground near Tomahawk, Wisconsin. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and passenger on board the airplane both sustained serious injuries in the accident. The local flight originated off of Lake Mohawksin, near Tomahawk, Wisconsin, at 1135.
A witness stated he saw the airplane spiral straight down into the trees.
In his written statement, the pilot said while he was at 3,000 feet and conducting a slow flight maneuver, the airplane's right wing dropped suddenly and the airplane entered a spin. The pilot said he tried to recover but couldn't stop the right turning spin. The pilot said that about 2 1/2 spins from the tree tops, he pulled back on the stick. The airplane's nose came up and slowed just prior to the impact with the trees.
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane at the accident site. The airplane was resting on its nose among pine trees along the edge of a lake. Several broken pine tree boughs rested on the ground near the airplane. The airplane's engine, engine cowling, engine mounts, firewall, and forward fuselage were crushed aft. Both wings were crushed aft along the leading edges and showed several tears in the fabric skin. The airplane's right flap and aileron were broken off and found suspended in the trees. The floats were bent upward and aft. The aft fuselage showed skin wrinkles. The left horizontal stabilizer and elevator were bent aft. One of the three propeller blades was broken off near the hub. Another blade showed leading edge nicks and chordwise scratches. Flight control continuity was confirmed. An examination of the engine, engine controls and other airplane systems revealed no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1195F
- Reported as
- Kainz Kitfox IV
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1653
- Airframe hours
- 342
- Engine
- Rotax 582UL, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Christopher A. Kainz
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 26, 2001 · 108 hours before
- Departed
- Tomahawk, WI
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
- 47
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 397 total · 340 in this make and model · 365 as pilot in command · 53 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RRL, 17 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.