- Date
- July 15, 2018, 10:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lowville, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N555HTDaniels Alan L Kitfox Series 7
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180715011259A
- Case key
- 97785
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 maintain a proper airspeed during the approach to land, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Findings · 3
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 pilot reported that, during landing, about 5 ft off the ground, the left wing raised, and the right wing impacted the ground. Subsequently, the airplane twisted right and landed sideways on the left main landing gear. The pilot further reported in a telephone conversation that, during the landing, the airplane got slow, there was a breeze from the left, and the airplane did not respond after he applied correction for lateral control. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage, and the elevator. The pilot recommended that he should have had more speed or performed a go-around. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, during landing, about 5 ft off of the ground, the left wing raised and the right wing impacted the ground. Subsequently, the airplane twisted to the right and landed sideways on the left main landing gear. The pilot further reported in a telephone conversation that, during the landing, the airplane got slow, there was a breeze from the left, and the airplane did not respond after he applied correction for the lateral control. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage and the elevator. The pilot recommended that he should have had more speed or performed a go around. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N555HT
- Reported as
- Daniels Alan L Kitfox Series 7 (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- S60111-076
- Built
- 2004
- Airframe hours
- 898
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 8, 2018
- Departed
- 6B4 · Utica/Frankfort, NY
- Destination
- Lowville, NY
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Equipment
- Angle of attack indicator, Handheld GPS
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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 20, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 189 total · 186 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KGTB, 18 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 29, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 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.
Other investigations on N555HT · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.