- Date
- February 6, 2000, 12:34 local (20:34 UTC)
- Place
- Livermore, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N91ELLutes Kitfox II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000206006399A
- Case key
- 48593
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 inadequate compensation for the existing crosswind condition and his failure to maintain runway alignment.
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
According to the pilot, the conventional gear equipped airplane touched down on runway 7R and the crosswind picked up the right wing. He said that once the wing lifted he was unable to compensate and the airplane veered suddenly to the right and ground looped. He said there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. The winds at the time were from 050 degrees at 11 knots.
Factual narrative
On February 6, 2000, at 1234 hours Pacific standard time, an amateur-built Lutes Kitfox II, N91EL, ground looped during landing on runway 7R at the Livermore, California, airport. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area personal flight, which originated from the Livermore airport at 1145 on the morning of the accident.
According to the pilot, the airplane touched down on runway 7R and the crosswind picked up the right wing. He said that once the wing lifted he was unable to compensate and the airplane veered suddenly to the right and ground looped. He said there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. The winds at the time were from 050 degrees at 11 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N91EL
- Reported as
- Lutes Kitfox II
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 390
- Airframe hours
- 240
- Engine
- Rotax 582, 66 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John B. Hyde
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 11, 1999 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- LVK
- Airport
- LVK · Livermore Muni, runway 7R, 2,699 × 75 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
- 56
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,021 total · 160 in this make and model · 1,828 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 142 °F, dew point 118 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LVK
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.