CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, September 24, 2011 in Lafayette, LA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 04/20/2012
Aircraft: BINS TOM KITFOX IV, registration: N211KF
Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot initiated a 270-degree turn back to the runway after a partial loss of engine power during takeoff. As he was turning back, the engine continued to lose power and the pilot made a forced landing to a grass field. The pilot said that he was in control of the airplane until it was 15 to 20 feet above the ground when it lost lift, landed hard, and flipped over. A postaccident test run of the engine revealed no mechanical anomalies.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot’s loss of control during a forced landing after a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons during takeoff.
On September 24, 2011, at 0852, N211KF, an experimental Tom Bins Kitfox IV equipped with floats, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing shortly after takeoff from Lafayette Regional Airport (LAF), Lafayette, Louisiana. The private pilot/owner sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
The pilot reported that he departed Lafayette with 15 gallons of fuel on board with the intentions of making just one circuit in the traffic pattern followed by a full-stop landing. Shortly after takeoff, when the airplane reached an altitude of 400 feet, the pilot heard a "swoosh" and a "loud bang" followed by a 50 percent reduction in power. He elected to return back to the runway and initiated a 270 degree turn. As he was turning back, the engine continued to lose power. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and made a forced landing to a grass field about 1/8 of a mile from the runway. The pilot said he was in “complete control” of the airplane but it "lost lift" when it was 15-20 feet high. The airplane "dropped" on to the ground, landed hard, and flipped over.
Examination of on-site photos revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and the wing struts. Both floats and one propeller blade were also damaged. The engine was test-run under the supervision of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The engine was started utilizing fuel in the carburetor bowls and then run until the fuel was exhausted. The carburetor bowls were refilled and the engine was re-started. This time engine power was increased and both magnetos were checked. No anomalies were noted with the magnetos or the engine.
At approximately 9 am Sunday morning the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office was alerted to a possible airplane crash just east of the Lafayette Regional Airport, responding deputies found a small airplane inverted in a field near the Oakbourne Country Club off of East Simcoe Street in Lafayette Parish. Deputies also located a 73 year old pilot who was responsive but injured, the man was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Sheriff's deputies confirmed there were no other injuries and have secured the area while Federal Aviation Administration Investigators and National Transportation Saftey Board Investigators respond. The identity of the pilot has not been released at this time.
Kip Judice
Captain
Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office
337 236-5876
A morning plane crash in Lafayette leaves the pilot injured in a small field off Simcoe Street in Lafayette Parish. The plane took off from Lafayette Regional Airport and crashed only a short time later near the Oakbourne Country Club.
The 73-year-old pilot who's identity is being withheld was taken to a local hospital where he is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The Lafayette Parish Sheriff's office responded to the initial reports of the crash and secured the site. Since then the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators have been dispatched to look into the circumstances of crash.
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