- Date
- September 1, 2007, 09:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Kerrville, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N915WKitFox Series 5
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20070901823919A
- Case key
- 66565
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 pilot's failure to compensate for the existing wind conditions. A contributing factor was the prevailing crosswind.
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 1,300-hour private pilot lost directional control of the tail-wheel equipped homebuilt airplane during takeoff roll from Runway 16. The pilot reported that shortly after reaching the first 200-feet of his takeoff roll, the airplane started to veer to the left of the centerline and eventually ran-off the runway. The pilot stated the runway was elevated from the surrounding terrain and when the airplane ran off the left side of the runway, the airplane banked to the right and the right wing collided with the ground and the airplane nosed-over. The FAA inspector, who responded to the site of the accident, did not find any anomalies with the flight controls, tailwheel steering system or the brakes. A passenger seated on the right front seat of the airplane provided a copy of a short video clip confirming the sequence of events. The Runway 16 was described as a 3,000 -foot long by 50-foot wide asphalt airstrip. Weather 10 nautical miles south of the airport was reported 10 minutes prior to the accident to be winds from 110 at 9 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, with a broken layer at 7,500 feet and an overcast layer at 10,000-feet. The temperature was reported as 28-degrees Celsius, with a dew point at 17-degrees Celsius, with an altimeter of 30.13 inches of Mercury.
Factual narrative
The 1,300-hour private pilot lost directional control of the tail-wheel equipped homebuilt airplane during takeoff roll from Runway 16. The pilot reported that shortly after reaching the first 200-feet of his takeoff roll, the airplane started to veer to the left of the centerline and eventually ran-off the runway. The pilot stated the runway was elevated from the surrounding terrain and when the airplane ran off the left side of the runway, the airplane banked to the right and the right wing collided with the ground and the airplane nosed-over. The FAA inspector, who responded to the site of the accident, did not find any anomalies with the flight controls, tailwheel steering system or the brakes. A passenger seated on the right front seat of the airplane provided a copy of a short video clip confirming the sequence of events. The Runway 16 was described as a 3,000 -foot long by 50-foot wide asphalt airstrip. Weather 10 nautical miles south of the airport was reported 10 minutes prior to the accident to be winds from 110 at 9 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, with a broken layer at 7,500 feet and an overcast layer at 10,000-feet. The temperature was reported as 28-degrees Celsius, with a dew point at 17-degrees Celsius, with an altimeter of 30.13 inches of Mercury.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N915W
- Reported as
- KitFox Series 5
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- S94090047
- Airframe hours
- 450
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Michael Stanard
- Registered owner
- Michael Stanard
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · August 1, 2007
- Departed
- Kerrville, TX
- Airport
- 60TE · Tierra Linda irport, runway 16, 3,000 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 1, 2006
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,300 total · 91 in this make and model · 1,300 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- 60TE
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.