# NTSB WPR09LA264: Polit Kitfox Ser 5 Outback, N781VP, Apple Valley, CA, May 23, 2009 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 23, 2009, 07:45 local (14:45 UTC) - Place: Apple Valley, CA - Coordinates: 34.575279, -117.186111 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.5753&lon=-117.1861&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed, report January 7, 2011 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 73901 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR09LA264 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/73901/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=73901 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR09LA264 ## Probable cause The pilot's loss of aircraft control for undetermined reasons while maneuvering at low altitude. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Not determined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000): Not determined › Not determined · Unknown/Not determined (probable cause); cases with it: [Polit Virgil Edouard KITFOX SER 5 OUTBACK, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md?model=05607YY), [All aircraft, 2,247 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not specified (probable cause); cases with it: [Polit Virgil Edouard KITFOX SER 5 OUTBACK, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000/cases.md?model=05607YY), [All aircraft, 1,269 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [Polit Virgil Edouard KITFOX SER 5 OUTBACK, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=05607YY), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md) - [Uncontrolled descent: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Polit Virgil Edouard KITFOX SER 5 OUTBACK, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=05607YY), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis Witnesses observed the accident airplane flying low, about 200 to 300 feet above the ground, when it banked sharply to the left, stalled, and then began to spin prior to impacting the ground. Due to the airplane damage, Federal Aviation Administration inspectors who responded to the accident site were not able to determine if there were any mechanical problems prior to impact. According to a pilot/mechanic who performed the annual inspection on the airplane about a month prior to the accident, he had several conversations with the accident pilot regarding the pilot's unease about flying alone since he had not flown the airplane for some time. The pilot's spouse reported that she knew of no known medical problems with her husband. She also said that he had not flown the airplane since the last annual inspection. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 23, 2009, about 0745 Pacific daylight time, an experimental Polit Kitfox Ser 5 Outback, N781VP, crashed shortly after takeoff from Apple Valley Airport (APV), Apple Valley, California. The pilot/owner operated the airplane under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal local area flight. The pilot was killed, and the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, and no flight plan had been filed. Several firefighters assigned to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Apple Valley station, about 1/4 mile southeast of the accident site, witnessed the accident. They noticed it because it was flying about 200 to 300 feet above the ground. It was traveling in a northwest direction, which was not the normal pattern for landing airplanes. The witnesses reported that the airplane appeared to stall and then bank to the left, followed by the airplane's nose dropping before it impacted the ground. The firefighters reported that the airplane was starting to spin prior to ground impact. They were not able to determine whether the airplane's engine was running because of the sound from a nearby operating fire truck. The mechanic, who performed the last annual inspection, reported that on several occasions he had spoken with the accident pilot about flying with him; the mechanic was also a pilot. The accident pilot had told him he was uneasy flying the accident airplane alone because he had not flown it recently. The mechanic stated to the deputy coroner from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department that the airplane appeared to have experienced a stall-spin event. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the accident site, reported that the entire airplane came to rest at the accident site. Due to the damage to the airplane, the FAA inspector was not able to determine if the airplane had experienced any mechanical problems. PERSONNEL INFORMATION According to FAA airman records, the 59-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. The pilot also held a third-class medical issued on January 25, 2008; with the limitation that he must have available glasses for near vision. No personal flight records were made available to the NTSB for the pilot. The pilot reported on his last medical application, dated January 25, 2008, a total time of 550 hours. Additionally, aircraft logbooks were also not made available to the NTSB for the airplane. A deputy coroner spoke with the accident pilot's spouse. She informed the deputy/coroner that her husband had not flown the airplane since the last annual inspection performed in April 2009. She also reported that he had no medical problems other than hypertension, which was controlled by medication. The spouse also reported that her husband had about 300 hours of flight time in the accident airplane. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The airplane, N781VP, was a 2000amateur-built (experimental) Polit Kitfox Series 5 Outback. An NSI modified Subaru EA-81 engine, serial number 948131 (block); A12-229 (transmission) had been installed on the airplane. The tachometer hours recorded at the accident site was 251.6 hours. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N781VP](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N781VP-2013-07-30), registration cancelled 2013-07-30, S/N S9701-0203, built 2000 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Polit Kitfox Ser 5 Outback - Registry model: [Polit Virgil Edouard KITFOX SER 5 OUTBACK](https://openairdocs.org/model/polit-virgil-edouard-kitfox-ser-5-outback) (registry code 05607YY) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Subaru ALL MDLS A/B](https://openairdocs.org/engine/subaru-all-mdls-a-b) (registry code 59050, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: S9701-0203 - Airframe hours: 252 - Engines: NSI EA-81 reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Harvey G Leyde Jr - Registered owner: Harvey G Leyde Jr - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, April 1, 2009 - Departed: APV, Apple Valley, CA - Destination: APV, Apple Valley, CA - Airport: APV, Apple Valley Airport ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 59; injuries: fatal; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; seat: left; toxicology performed; flight hours: 550 total, 300 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 140° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 66 °F, dew point 25 °F - Altimeter: 29.94 inHg - Observed at: VCV, 10 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20090523008959A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20090523008959A), May 23, 2009: Amtr KITFOX, Apple Valley, CA, Substantial damage, 1 fatal. (-23) Pilot flying an experimental Kitfox outback, departed Apple airport (apv). Witnesses stated aircraft was flying extremely low (approximately 200 feet)… ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 28, 2010, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=73901. 4.7 MB in all. - Toxicological Report - CAMI (item 1, .PDF, 124 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40334573&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Toxicological%20Report%20-%20CAMI-Master.PDF - Toxicological Report - San Bernardino County (item 2, .PDF, 99 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40334574&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Toxicological%20Report%20-%20San%20Bernardino%20County-Redacted.PDF - Excerpt Coroner Investigative Report (SBSD) (item 3, .PDF, 4.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40334576&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Excerpt%20Coroner%20Investigative%20Report%20(SBSD)-Redacted.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.