Amateur-built KITFOX IV accident near Sidney, New York, October 18, 2017
On October 18, 2017 at about 9:15 pm local time, a 2014 amateur-built KITFOX IV, registered N37TP, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Sidney, New York (Sidney Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack following a loss of ground reference during landing in glaring sun conditions, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 2017 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Sidney, New York · Sidney Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX IV NO SERIES, built 2014
- Registration
- N37TP · registry record · serial ASC-199
- 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, during final approach, the airplane was "out of alignment to the left edge of the runway." He decided to add throttle and realign with the runway, but as he reached for the throttle to add power, at that instant, he was "blinded" by sun glare, and he had "no memory of [the] events for approximately 6 seconds" after that point. He added that, just before impact, he saw the ground, but "there was nothing that could be done." The airplane impacted a parking lot in a nose-low, left-wing-down attitude. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and both wings. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, the passenger reported that, during landing, the airplane was crabbing to the left but traveling forward. He reported that, before the runway threshold, there was a momentary sun flash that "lit up the plastic windscreen." He further reported that the pilot applied power, pulled back on the control stick, and the airplane "spiraled" and "twisted" left and downward into a parking lot. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack and then entered an aerodynamic stall/spin.
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 approach (VFR pattern final)
- Loss of visual reference during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach (VFR go-around)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR go-around)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Situational awareness › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Glare › Effect on personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, recreational, sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: sport pilot
- Flight time: 394 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 302 as pilot in command; 33 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 8, 2017
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 81 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 2, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 467 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N23 Sidney NY at 9:30 pm
- Destination: N23 Sidney NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 4,201 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from KBGM, 25 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
3 documents, released by the NTSB on January 25, 2018. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation (Passenger) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Photo (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | 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.