Amateur-built KITFOX IV 1200 accident near Bunn, North Carolina, November 20, 2011
On November 20, 2011 at about 4:00 pm local time, a amateur-built KITFOX IV 1200, registered N6844B, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Bunn, North Carolina (Crooked Creek 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
The pilot did not attain a proper touchdown point while attempting to land with a tailwind and delayed his decision to abort the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 2011 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bunn, North Carolina · Crooked Creek Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX IV 1200
- Registration
- N6844B · no longer on the register · serial 1802
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the attempted landing, the airplane "floated some" and touched down on the 2,500-foot turf runway near the midpoint with insufficient distance remaining to stop. The pilot then increased engine power and aborted the landing but felt that the engine was not producing full power. The pilot maneuvered the airplane in an attempt to avoid trees beyond the departure end of the runway, but the airplane struck the trees in a level attitude, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and both wings. A witness reported observing the airplane intermittently during the attempted landing and said that, when he first saw the airplane, it had traveled a significant distance down the runway. He then heard the airplane's engine power increase, watched as it climbed in a shallow right turn, and realized that the airplane would not be able to clear the 25-foot tall trees beyond the end of the runway. Both the witness and a weather reporting station 7 nautical miles from the accident site reported that an approximate 6-knot tailwind prevailed about the time of the accident. Examination of the airframe and engine found no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures.
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
- Landing area overshoot during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (aborted after touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 6,623 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 83 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 6,145 as pilot in command; 3,610 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 30, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 171 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, November 18, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru ALL MDLS A/B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LHZ Louisburg NC at 3:00 pm
- Destination: 7NC5 Bunn NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 04, 2,500 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.34 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from LHZ, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.