- Date
- July 28, 1992, 19:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Vero Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N70629Dewitt, Richard A. Kitfox
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920728027899A
- Case key
- 33115
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 engine due to fuel contamination resulting in a forced landing in a grove at which time the aircraft struck trees.
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
Pilot stated engine quit while making a right downwind departure. A forced landing was made in a grove of trees and the left wing struck a tree during rollout. After the accident the engine was started in the presence of an FAA inspector. The engine ran rough for a few moments after starting and then operated normally. The pilot stated he found dirt in the airframe and engine fuel system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N70629
- Reported as
- Dewitt, Richard A. Kitfox
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 69
- Airframe hours
- 262
- Engine
- Rotax 532UL, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kirby, Floyd D.
- Registered owner
- Kirby, Floyd D.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 11, 1992 · 2 hours before
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
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 653 total · 45 in this make and model · 653 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VRB, 7 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.