Troyer KITFOX 3 N7199T

Summary

On 14 May 2012 at about 20:30 local time, a Troyer KITFOX 3 registered N7199T, operated by Gothenburg Leasing, LLC, was involved in an accident near Elm Creek, Nebraska, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 May 2012 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Elm Creek, Nebraska, United States

Coordinates

40.8125, -99.4178

Aircraft

Troyer KITFOX 3

Registration

N7199T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Gothenburg Leasing, LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Central City → Gothenburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12LA302

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to verify the amount of oil in the injection oil reservoir before takeoff, which resulted in an insufficient fuel/oil ratio and subsequent loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The accident occurred on the first flight following a condition inspection. The pilot reported that about 50 minutes after takeoff, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot lowered the nose of the airplane and was able to restart the engine. The loss of engine power occurred five more times, and the pilot was able to regain power after each power loss except for the last. The pilot chose a field in which to land, but the airplane collided with a grass embankment before arriving at the field. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed the pistons in the two-cycle engine had seized due to a lack of lubrication. The injection oil reservoir contained an unusable amount of oil. The integrity of the oil injection system was verified and no breaches were noted. The pilot stated that he did not check the oil level during the preflight inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.