COTTONWOOD, AZ, USA
N99TL
Lawrence KITFOX
The pilot said he had just begun his takeoff when his right wing touched the runway. The aircraft then suddenly lifted off to approximately 40 feet above the ground and to the left of the runway. He said he was still very slow and had minimal control over the airplane. Seconds later the aircraft descended to the ground and impacted in a slightly nose low attitude. The pilot admitted that he probably lifted off without sufficient airspeed. He reported that he had about 140 hours of total time and 1 hour of flight time in the preceding 90 days in this make and model airplane.
On March 3, 1998, at 1155 hours mountain standard time, an experimental Lawrence Kitfox, N99TL, collided with the ground following a loss of control during the initial takeoff climb at Cottonwood, Arizona. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and the pilot/owner-builder sustained minor injuries. The flight was originating as a personal flight by the pilot when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot told an Aviation Safety Technician at the Scottsdale Flight Standards District Office that he was taking off using Runway 14, and that there was more of a crosswind this day and the winds seemed a little "squirrelly" as he started his takeoff. He said that the winds were greater than he had previously encountered the day before. He stated in his pilot/operator report that as he was approaching his takeoff speed, his right wing touched the runway and then suddenly he was airborne and lifted off to about 40 feet and to the left of the runway. He said he had "very little control and still too slow." He said he floundered in the air for a few seconds as he was trying to regain control, then he literally fell out of the sky and hit the ground in a fairly flat, slightly nose down attitude in the opposite direction from which he departed. He stated that the "controls are not at fault" and that he "probably lifted off too soon and didn't have enough airspeed." The pilot had about 140 hours of flight time in the accident aircraft make and model. He reported in the pilot/operator report that he had 1 hour of flight time in this make and model of airplane in the preceding 90 days.
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control and attain the proper airspeed for takeoff. A factor in the accident was his lack of recent experience in the make and model of airplane.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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