Amateur-built KITFOX MODEL 1 N375KF accident near Salem, Oregon

Probable cause

The student pilot's improper decision to operate an airplane for which he was not endorsed to fly solo and in which he had limited experience or training, and his subsequent loss of airplane control after takeoff.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot had just completed maintenance on his newly purchased experimental, amateur-built light sport airplane and told a witness that he was going to conduct taxi tests. A few hours after observing the airplane taxi along the runway multiple times, he noticed that the student's vehicle and trailer were still parked at the airport but that the airplane was not there. The airplane wreckage was subsequently located near the edge of a wooded area about 100 yards from the runway.

The student's flight instructor estimated that the he had accumulated about 35 total hours of flight experience, almost all of which was in another make and model airplane. He stated that he did not think the student had not previously flown the accident airplane make and model.

The fuselage exhibited accordion-style crushing damage, consistent with a near-vertical impact indicative of a loss of airplane control. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

Although toxicological testing detected one potentially sedating antihistamine in the student's urine, it was not detected in blood. Therefore, the use of the medication likely did not contribute to the accident.

Based on the available evidence, it is likely that the student decided to take off in the airplane and, shortly after takeoff, lost airplane control. The student had not been endorsed by an instructor to fly the accident airplane solo and likely didn't not have the experience to maintain control after takeoff.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ANC18FA041 for the full record.