No fatalities

15 Jul 2018: DANIELS ALAN L KITFOX SERIES 7 No Series — Lowville, NY

Lowville, NY, United States

On 15 Jul 2018, a DANIELS ALAN L KITFOX SERIES 7 No Series was involved in an aviation accident near Lowville, NY. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain a proper airspeed during the approach to land, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During landing, the airplane's right wing struck the ground after the left wing rose, leading to a sideways landing. The pilot noted low speed and a left crosswind, with no preaccident mechanical issues.

Accident Overview

The accident occurred during the landing phase of the flight. According to the pilot's report, when the airplane was approximately 5 feet above the ground, the left wing rose and the right wing subsequently struck the ground. This caused the airplane to twist to the right and land sideways on the left main landing gear.

Pilot Report

In a follow-up telephone conversation, the pilot elaborated that during the landing, the airplane had become slow. There was a breeze from the left, and after applying correction for lateral control, the airplane did not respond as expected. The pilot also noted that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Damage

The accident resulted in substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage, and the elevator of the airplane.

Pilot Recommendations

The pilot recommended that having more speed or performing a go-around would have been preferable in this situation.

Contributing factors

Airspeed — Not attained/maintainedAttain/maintain not possiblePilot