Amateur-built KITFOX IV N645GR accident near Vancouver, Washington

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during an attempt to return to the runway immediately after takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was foreign debris in the right-hand carburetor bowl, which precipitated a loss of engine power.

NTSB analysis

Shortly after the airplane took off, a witness heard sounds indicative of an engine problem. The airplane started to make a controlled turn back to the runway; however, it subsequently experienced an aerodynamic stall and crashed at a 45-degree nose-down attitude. The airplane's annual inspection had been completed the week before the accident and the accident flight appeared to be the first flight after the inspection. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed an orange rubber-like debris in the right-hand carburetor bowl. The debris was similar to the RTV fire sleeve material used to insulate the fuel lines that resided in the airplane's engine compartment. How the orange rubber/RTV material came to reside in the carburetor bowl could not be determined; however, foreign material in the carburetor bowl could block a carburetor main jet, resulting in a partial to complete loss of engine power.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR12LA277 for the full record.