Amateur-built KITFOX IV accident near Lafayette, Louisiana, September 24, 2011
On September 24, 2011 at about 1:52 pm local time, a amateur-built KITFOX IV, registered N211KF, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Lafayette, Louisiana (Lafayette Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of control during a forced landing after a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 24, 2011 · about 1:52 pm local time
- Place
- Lafayette, Louisiana · Lafayette Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX IV
- Registration
- N211KF · no longer on the register · serial 1496
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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 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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during takeoff
- Loss of engine power (total) during emergency descent
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,775 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 7,675 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 15, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 643 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LFT Lafayette LA at 2:40 pm
- Destination: LFT Lafayette LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22L, 7,651 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from LFT, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N211KF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.