Merwin KITFOX N399A

Summary

On 25 January 2020 at about 15:50 local time, a Merwin KITFOX registered N399A was involved in an accident near Goodyear, Arizona, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 January 2020 at 15:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Goodyear, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Phoenix Goodyear (GYR)

Coordinates

33.4233, -112.3753

Aircraft

Merwin KITFOX

Registration

N399A

Category

Airplane

Year built

2019

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Goodyear → Goodyear

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR20CA080

Nobody was injured.

The tail wheel mechanism detachment for reasons that could not be determined due to the lack of available evidence which resulted in the loss of directional control on landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, he was on a familiarization/test flight with the pilot/owner. They had conducted 7 successful landings and while on final approach for the 8th landing, he entered a forward slip to steepen the descent angle without increasing airspeed, and pitched for landing. As the airplane touched down, there was no drift or yaw; however, during the landing rollout the rudder pedals "jerked," and the nose began to veer rapidly to the left. He applied right rudder pedal, but the airplane continued to yaw to the left and subsequently ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder The pilot reported that the tailwheel chains and steering springs were intact, but the chains were not attached to the springs, and one of the tailwheel steering chains may have disconnected while maneuvering to land. The nut retaining the tailwheel spring was not located and the spring hole appeared to be undamaged.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.