Drake KITFOX SPEEDSTER N157D

Summary

On 1 October 2016 at about 18:00 local time, a Drake KITFOX SPEEDSTER registered N157D was involved in an accident near Jennings, Louisiana, 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

1 October 2016 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Jennings, Louisiana, United States

Nearest airport

Jennings (3R7)

Coordinates

30.2422, -92.6714

Aircraft

Drake KITFOX SPEEDSTER

Registration

N157D

Category

Airplane

Year built

2005

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Jennings → Slaughter

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN17LA001

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed during takeoff, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and subsequent aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot stated that, during the initial climb after takeoff, he checked the airspeed and lowered the airplane's nose. He reported that the airplane rolled to the right, which he corrected, then the airplane "abruptly" rolled to the left. He was unable to correct the roll, and the airplane descended and impacted terrain. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane. A witness reported that the airplane was airborne in a wings level, "very high" nose-up attitude when he first saw it. He stated that, after a few seconds, the left wing and the nose dropped. Shortly after that, the right wing dropped, the nose-down attitude increased, and the airplane impacted terrain. A video of the accident corroborated the witness account. The witness's recollection of the accident, along with the video of the accident airplane just before the accident, suggest that the pilot exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack during the initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.