- Date
- August 6, 1995, 11:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Weed, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N38HMMcnulty Kitfox IV 1200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 27, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950806021849A
- Case key
- 29173
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 delayed application of sufficient power to arrest a high sink rate, which resulted in a hard landing. Factors in the accident were the pilot's lack of recent flight experience and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight.
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 aircraft owner/builder had not flown since 1988, pending resolution of a medical certification problem. The pilot's medical was recently reinstated and he was obtaining dual instruction to complete a biennial flight review. The pilot reported that this was the second instructional flight of the morning with his flight instructor, and had completed six full stop landings. During the last approach, the aircraft developed a high sink rate on short final and the pilot said he added a little power, which did not arrest the sink. The pilot then added full power. The high sink rate was not corrected and the aircraft landed hard on the runway, collapsing the left main landing gear. The aircraft then ground looped off the runway.
Factual narrative
On August 6, 1995, at 1130 Pacific daylight time, a homebuilt experimental Kitfox IV 1200 airplane, N38HM, ground looped on landing and collapsed the landing gear at Weed, California. The aircraft was owned and operated by the builder/pilot and was on a dual instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and included calm wind conditions. The aircraft incurred substantial damage. Neither the private pilot owner nor the commercial pilot/flight instructor onboard was injured. The flight originated from the Weed airport on the day of the accident at 1045 as a local area dual instructional flight.
The aircraft owner/builder had not flown since 1988, pending resolution of a medical certification problem. The pilot's medical was recently reinstated and he was obtaining dual instruction to complete a biennial flight review.
The pilot reported that this was the second instructional flight of the morning with his flight instructor, and had completed six full stop landings. During the last approach, the aircraft developed a high sink rate on short final and the pilot said he added a little power, which did not arrest the sink. The pilot then added full power. The high sink rate was not corrected and the aircraft landed hard on the runway, collapsing the left main landing gear. The aircraft then ground looped off the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N38HM
- Reported as
- Mcnulty Kitfox IV 1200 (KITFOX IV)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1882
- Airframe hours
- 5
- Engine
- Rotax 912UL, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Harry A. Mcnulty
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 6, 1994 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- 1O6
- Airport
- 046 · Weed, runway 32, 5,000 × 60 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
- 50
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.