NTSB Prelim: Beauchamp Norm Series 5 Kitfox | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-05.05.25

Airborne-NextGen-05.06.25

AirborneUnlimited-05.07.25

Airborne-Unlimited-05.01.25

AirborneUnlimited-05.02.25

Sun, Dec 24, 2023

NTSB Prelim: Beauchamp Norm Series 5 Kitfox

The Airplane Was Rapidly Descending In A Vertical Nosedown Attitude

Location: Eloy, AZ Accident Number: WPR24FA053
Date & Time: December 8, 2023, 13:29 Local Registration: N66180
Aircraft: Beauchamp Norm Series 5 Kitfox Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On December 8, 2023, about 1329 Pacific standard time an experimental amateur-built Series 5 Kitfox, N66180, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Eloy, Arizona. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot had flown from his home base of Ryan Field (RYN) earlier in the day to have lunch at the Eloy Municipal Airport (E60) restaurant. The pilot told a friend, who flew with him on the inbound flight in another airplane, that the flight was uneventful. The accident flight was to be the return leg. Preliminary ADS-B data revealed that after takeoff from runway 20, the airplane climbed to about 2,450 ft msl (900 ft agl), before making a left turn to the south. About that time, a witness who was in the front yard of his residence just below the airplane’s flight path heard an engine “sputter” and then go quiet. He looked up and watched as white pieces fell from the airplane. The airplane continued to maintain level flight and he looked away.

When he looked up again, he could see the airplane was rapidly descending in a vertical nosedown attitude. It then struck the ground in a field across the road from  his house and burst into flames. The airplane was not trailing smoke or vapors at any time prior to impact. The airplane came to rest in a dirt field, 1.2 miles southwest of the departure end of runway 20. The entire structure was consumed by fire with only steel airframe and burnt aluminum, composite, and flight instrument remnants remaining. The first identified point of impact was an almost complete impression of the airplane’s forward profile in the dirt, that included the main landing gear strut, wheels, wing leading edges, and lift struts. The engine had separated from the firewall and was in the center of the impression. About 20 feet beyond the engine, both wings had come to rest in line with the impact point. The cabin and tail structure were crushed aft, such that the foot pedals were comingled with the remnants of the empennage.

A single intact propeller blade along with various items of cabin contents, an iPad, and clear plexiglass fragments were located about ½ mile north of the accident site, underneath the airplanes flight path. All remaining airframe primary structure, flight control surfaces, and engine components along with the second propeller blade, which had detached on impact, were accounted for in the main wreckage. The propeller hub remained attached to the engine crankshaft.

The airplane was equipped with a 160 horsepower O-320 Lycoming engine, and a composite ground-adjustable two blade propeller, manufactured by NR Prop. The airplanes maintenance logbooks indicated that the propeller assembly was installed during the condition inspection, one month before the accident. An accredited representative from the National Transportation Investigation Bureau of Ukraine, which was the state of the propeller manufacturer, has been assigned to assist with the investigation, and the propeller assembly has been retained for further examination.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (05.06.25)

Aero Linx: International Federation of Airworthiness (IFA) We aim to be the most internationally respected independent authority on the subject of Airworthiness. IFA uniquely combi>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (05.06.25): Ultrahigh Frequency (UHF)

Ultrahigh Frequency (UHF) The frequency band between 300 and 3,000 MHz. The bank of radio frequencies used for military air/ground voice communications. In some instances this may >[...]

ANN FAQ: Q&A 101

A Few Questions AND Answers To Help You Get MORE Out of ANN! 1) I forgot my password. How do I find it? 1) Easy... click here and give us your e-mail address--we'll send it to you >[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Virtual Reality Painting--PPG Leverages Technology for Training

From 2019 (YouTube Edition): Learning To Paint Without Getting Any On Your Hands PPG's Aerospace Coatings Academy is a tool designed to teach everything one needs to know about all>[...]

Airborne 05.02.25: Joby Crewed Milestone, Diamond Club, Canadian Pilot Insurance

Also: Sustainable Aircraft Test Put Aside, More Falcon 9 Ops, Wyoming ANG Rescue, Oreo Cookie Into Orbit Joby Aviation has reason to celebrate, recently completing its first full t>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC