LIVERMORE, CA, USA
N91EL
LUTES KITFOX II
According to the pilot, the conventional gear equipped airplane touched down on runway 7R and the crosswind picked up the right wing. He said that once the wing lifted he was unable to compensate and the airplane veered suddenly to the right and ground looped. He said there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. The winds at the time were from 050 degrees at 11 knots.
On February 6, 2000, at 1234 hours Pacific standard time, an amateur-built Lutes Kitfox II, N91EL, ground looped during landing on runway 7R at the Livermore, California, airport. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area personal flight, which originated from the Livermore airport at 1145 on the morning of the accident. According to the pilot, the airplane touched down on runway 7R and the crosswind picked up the right wing. He said that once the wing lifted he was unable to compensate and the airplane veered suddenly to the right and ground looped. He said there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. The winds at the time were from 050 degrees at 11 knots.
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the existing crosswind condition and his failure to maintain runway alignment.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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