- Date
- August 14, 1999, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Springerville, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N843KKilpatrick IV-1200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 23, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA, FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE
- FAA report
- 19990814046879A
- Case key
- 54157
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain directional control resulting in an inadvertent groundloop. A factor was muddy terrain by the runway.
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
During the transition to tail down during the landing rollout the airplane veered off the left side of the runway and ground looped. The pilot completed nine touch-and-go landings, and planned to make this landing a full stop. As the airplane left the paved surface, one wheel dug into the wet dirt by the runway and it ground looped, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing spar.
Factual narrative
On August 14, 1999, about 1400 hours mountain standard time, an experimental Kilpatrick IV-1200, N843K, ground looped during landing at Springerville, Arizona. The commercial pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal local flight departed about 1215. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. On November 20, 2001, the accident came to the attention of the Federal Aviation Administration, Scottsdale Flight Standards District Office, which then notified the Safety Board.
The pilot stated he completed nine touch-and-go landings, and planned to make this landing a full stop. During the transition to tail down during the landing rollout the airplane veered off the left side of the runway. One wheel dug into the wet dirt and the airplane ground looped, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing spar. The pilot observed clear skies, no precipitation, no obstructions to visibility, and light and variable winds.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N843K
- Reported as
- Kilpatrick IV-1200
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- LBS086
- Engine
- Rotax 912, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Kenneth W. Kilpatrick
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- Q35 · Springerville, AZ
- Airport
- Q35 · Springerville, runway 21, 8,420 × 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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,664 total · 1,549 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.