Amateur-built Kitfox 4 accident near Glendale, Arizona, December 23, 2010
On December 23, 2010 at about 9:21 pm local time, a amateur-built Kitfox 4, registered N95FT, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Glendale, Arizona (Glendale Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to recognize the onset of and to prevent an aerodynamic stall at low altitude. Contributing to the accident were the manufacturer’s conflicting guidance about the power setting for takeoff and the pilot’s decision to conduct a partial-power takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 23, 2010 · about 9:21 pm local time
- Place
- Glendale, Arizona · Glendale Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Kitfox 4
- Registration
- N95FT · registry record · serial 1557
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The owner/pilot of the experimental amateur-built kit airplane was cleared by the air traffic controller to take off and remain in the traffic pattern for practice. Witnesses reported that the airplane climbed to about 200 feet above the runway before it banked sharply to the right and descended rapidly to ground impact. The impact location was offset about 300 feet from the runway centerline and was about 2,400 feet down the 7,150 foot long runway. The airplane motion, trajectory, and impact angle were consistent with an aerodynamic stall. The wind was calm, the density altitude was about 1,340 feet, and the airplane was about 380 pounds below its maximum gross weight of 1,350 pounds. Several days after the accident, the pilot stated that he intentionally attempted to take off using partial engine power. The kit manufacturer's published guidance for the airplane contained conflicting information regarding the amount of power to be used for takeoff. The checklist section specified full power for takeoff. In contrast, the "Flight Tips" section instructed "new" pilots to "restrict take-off power to about 75% of full power" but did not provide any elaborating information. The guidance specified climb speeds between 45 and 65 mph and a clean power-off stall speed of 38 mph. The airplane was not equipped with either a stall warning or angle-of-attack indication system, and it was not required to be so equipped. Had the pilot recognized and correctly reacted to the impending stall, either by adding power, pushing the airplane nose down, or both, it is likely that the accident would not have occurred. The investigation was unable to determine the accuracy of the airspeed indication system or the actual stall speeds or stall characteristics of the airplane.
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 control in flight during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- factor Organizational issues › Development › Manufacture/production › Document/info production › Manufacturer
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 350 hours in all; 65 in this make and model
- Last flight review: July 6, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 52 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 12, 2010; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,350 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Great Plains/Volkswagen (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GEU Glendale AZ at 8:21 pm
- Destination: GEU Glendale AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 7,150 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 9:25 pm from GEU, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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 N95FT the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR11LA080.