- Date
- July 2, 2014, 20:30 local (Jul 3, 2014, 03:30 UTC)
- Place
- Sprague, WA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5KWWiley Kitfox IV
- Defining event
- Approach: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Adminstration
- FAA report
- 20140702010439A
- Case key
- 89599
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 failure to maintain adequate clearance from powerlines during the landing approach resulting in a collision.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to practice taxiing in his recently purchased airplane. While taxiing, the airplane unintentionally became airborne and the pilot decided that in an effort to not collide with an electric fence ahead, he would need to add full power and fly the airplane in a traffic pattern to come back and land. Despite being aware of a powerline in the area, the pilot collided with it during his third landing attempt. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to practice taxiing in his recently purchased airplane. While taxiing, the airplane unintentionally became airborne which the pilot accredited to a combination of a weather inversion, vortex generators, and a three-blade propeller which produced enough lift at a slow groundspeed. The pilot decided that in an effort to not collide with an electric fence ahead, he would need to add full power and fly the airplane in a traffic pattern to come back and land. The pilot maneuvered to land on his grass strip and aborted the landing after assessing that the terrain would not be suitable. He maneuvered to an area about 0.5 miles away knowing that the terrain would be flat and adequate length. He was familiar with the area and knew that powerlines ran perpendicular to his flight path. During the approach, he again elected to go-around and configured the airplane for his third attempt to land. While on the final approach, the pilot reduced the power and the airplane rapidly lost altitude, resulting in a collision with the powerlines and collision with the ground. The pilot reported no pre impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5KW
- Reported as
- Wiley Kitfox IV
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1658
- Built
- 1994
- Airframe hours
- 806
- Engine
- Rotax 912 UL, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Walker Mark L
- Registered owner
- Walker Mark L
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 2, 2013
- Departed
- Sprague, WA
- Destination
- Sprague, WA
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
- 54
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 80 total · 0 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 27.55 inHg
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 25, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.