Amateur-built KITFOX IV N37TP accident near Sidney, New York

Probable cause

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.

NTSB analysis

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.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA18CA015 for the full record.