- Date
- October 11, 2019, 15:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Langley, WA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N612RFFoxworthy Rick A Sonex
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 21, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20191011019379A
- Case key
- 100417
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 approach path, which resulted in impact with a tree.
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, while on left base leg in the traffic pattern, the airplane was high. He made a 270° descending right turn to final and added 20° of flaps. The airplane descended faster than expected, and the left wing struck a tree. The airplane then impacted terrain and came to rest inverted, and a postcrash fire ensued. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. 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 of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, on left base in the traffic pattern, the airplane was high. He made a 270° descending right turn to final and add 20° of flaps. The airplane descended faster than expected and the left wing struck a tree. The airplane impacted terrain, came to rest inverted, and postcrash fire ensued. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N612RF
- Reported as
- Foxworthy Rick A Sonex
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1559
- Built
- 2014
- Airframe hours
- 4.5
- Engine
- Aerovee Aerovee 2.1, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- W10 · Langley, WA
- Destination
- W10 · Langley, WA
- Airport
- W10 · Whidbey Air Park, runway 34, 2,470 × 25 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 65
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- April 23, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 160.3 total · 1.7 in this make and model · 160.3 as pilot in command · 4.3 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- KPAE, 9 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 11, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 995 KB 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.