Amateur-built KITFOX accident near Killen, Alabama, July 28, 1991
On July 28, 1991 at about 6:00 pm local time, a amateur-built KITFOX, registered N174PH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Killen, Alabama (Private airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
WEATHER CONDITIONS CONDUCIVE TO CARBURETOR ICING. A FACTOR WAS THE LACK OF A CARBURETOR HEAT SYSTEM ON THE ENGINE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 1991 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Killen, Alabama · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX
- Registration
- N174PH · no longer on the register · serial 174
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING LANDING, A DOG WANDERED ONTO THE RUNWAY INTO THE PATH OF THE LANDING ROLL. A GO-AROUND WAS BEGUN, DURING WHICH THE ENGINE LOST POWER. WIRES AT THE END OF THE RWY FORCED THE PILOT TO DUCK UNDER THEM AND THE AIRPLANE HIT A POLE. A MECHANIC RAN THE ENGINE AFTERWARDS AND NOTHING WAS FOUND TO PRECLUDE NORMAL OPERATION. HE ALSO NOTED THAT THE CARBURETOR MOUNT INSULATED THE CARBURETOR FROM THE ENGINE HEAT AND NO CARBURETOR HEAT SYSTEM WAS INSTALLED. HUMIDITY CONDITIONS WERE CONDUCIVE TO CARBURETOR ICING.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 327 hours in all; 189 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 163 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 3, 1991; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 532LC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 1,000 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from MSL, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.