Rehn KITFOX IV N645GR

Summary

On 27 June 2012 at about 23:07 local time, a Rehn KITFOX IV registered N645GR, operated by Woodward Hannibal F, was involved in an accident near Vancouver, Washington, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, 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

27 June 2012 at 23:07

Classification

Accident

Location

Vancouver, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Pearson Field Airport (KVUO)

Coordinates

45.6203, -122.6547

Aircraft

Rehn KITFOX IV

Registration

N645GR

Category

Airplane

Year built

1996

Engines

1

Operator

Woodward Hannibal F

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Vancouver → Vancouver

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR12LA277

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during an attempt to return to the runway immediately after takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was foreign debris in the right-hand carburetor bowl, which precipitated a loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after the airplane took off, a witness heard sounds indicative of an engine problem. The airplane started to make a controlled turn back to the runway; however, it subsequently experienced an aerodynamic stall and crashed at a 45-degree nose-down attitude. The airplane's annual inspection had been completed the week before the accident and the accident flight appeared to be the first flight after the inspection. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed an orange rubber-like debris in the right-hand carburetor bowl. The debris was similar to the RTV fire sleeve material used to insulate the fuel lines that resided in the airplane's engine compartment. How the orange rubber/RTV material came to reside in the carburetor bowl could not be determined; however, foreign material in the carburetor bowl could block a carburetor main jet, resulting in a partial to complete loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.