Amateur-built KITFOX accident near Wauchula, Florida, January 18, 2020
On January 18, 2020 at about 3:30 pm local time, a 2003 amateur-built KITFOX, registered N4283V, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Wauchula, Florida (Wauchula Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper landing flare in gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in a bounced landing, and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control, which resulted in a runway excursion and nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 2020 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Wauchula, Florida · Wauchula Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX III, built 2003
- Registration
- N4283V · registry record · serial 770
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was conducting a crosswind landing. The airplane touched down, bounced slightly, settled, and it then veered off the right side of the runway onto grass, struck a light, flipped over, and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder and the fuselage forward of the horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that a gusting crosswind existed during the touchdown.
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
- Other weather encounter during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Roll over during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine sea
- Flight time: 115 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 61 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 9, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 528LC (piston); 322 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 48X Palmetto FL at 2:30 pm
- Destination: CHN Wauchula FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 4,005 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,800 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.36 inHg
- Observation at 3:35 pm from SEF, 29 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on May 7, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record – FAA Inspector Interview | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.