Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
was the failure of the pilot to maintain directional control during a bounced landing recovery. A factor was the pilot's lack of experience in make and model.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On November 18, 1999, about 1145 eastern standard time, a homebuilt Kitfox II, N317RS, was substantially damaged at the Ebensburg Airport, Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight. No flight plan had been filed for the flight that was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the airport manager, the pilot was practicing touch and go wheel landings on runway 25. The accident occurred during the second wheel landing.
The pilot reported that at a speed of about 30 miles per hour (MPH), the airplane bounced. He added power, and the airplane turned left. He then applied right rudder to correct and the airplane departed the runway on the right side, and went down an embankment.
According to an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the left wing was bent, the landing gear had collapsed rearward, and the fuselage was twisted. In addition, there was no evidence of a mechanical failure of malfunction with the airframe or engine.
According to FAA records, the pilot had received his private pilot certificate on December 9, 1998.
The pilot received a tailwheel checkout on September 18, 1999, after he received 8.4 hours in a Piper J3. He reported his total flight experience as 150 hours, with 5.6 hours in the Kitfox.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# NYC00LA032