- Date
- December 10, 1994, 11:12 local (16:12 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Pierce, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N491WCColvin Kitfox II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 27, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19941210041259A
- Case key
- 37706
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 failure of the pilot to abort the takeoff when he encountered water on the grass 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
The pilot attempted to takeoff in a homebuilt airplane from a field in front of a house. During the takeoff roll the airplane did not accelerate adequately and hit a fence and cartwheeled into trees. Examination of the field shortly after the accident revealed the field was wet and there were areas of standing water.
Factual narrative
On December 10, 1994, about 1112 eastern standard time, N491WC, a homebuilt Kitfox registered to the pilot Wilbur Colvin, crashed in Fort Pierce, Florida, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the pilot received serious injuries. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
The pilot stated he was attempting a takeoff from his front yard when he encountered standing water on the grass runway. The takeoff roll was continued and the airplane struck a fence immediately after becoming airborne. The airplane then cartwheeled into a field.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N491WC
- Reported as
- Colvin Kitfox II
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 281
- Airframe hours
- 88
- Engine
- Rotax 582-LC, 64 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Colvin, Wilbur D.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 20, 1994 · 14 hours before
- Destination
- FL
- Airport
- runway 33, 500 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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
- 64
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 30,000 total · 88 in this make and model · 25,000 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FPR, 14 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.