Amateur-built KIT FOX SE N40120 accident near La Porte, Texas

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and uncontrolled descent.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was flying the experimental homebuilt airplane with a potential buyer for the airplane who was a pilot-rated passenger. The pilot had flown the airplane 45 minutes the morning of the accident, but had not flown the airplane for the year preceding the accident. The pilot-rated passenger had no experience in the airplane. After 10 to 15 minutes of flight, witnesses observed the airplane making a climbing left turn about 1,000 feet in the air when the airplane suddenly nosed over near vertical, consistent with an aerodynamic stall. The airplane impacted an open field at a near 45-degree angle and burned in a postimpact fire. Examination of the aircraft did not reveal any preimpact anomalies.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for DEN08LA098 for the full record.