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CEN23LA381

2023-08-01 · Scottsburg, Indiana, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 3R8

Current FAA registration · N815US

Make / Model
DENNEY AEROCRAFT COMPANY KITFOX III
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AB1DC2

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control after takeoff that resulted in an impact with terrain.

Factual narrative

The student pilot attempted a personal flight in an airplane that did not have an airworthiness certificate. Additionally, he did not have any required student pilot solo endorsements for solo flight. A witness to the accident flight stated that the student pilot performed a successful airplane runup before takeoff. During the takeoff, the airplane lifted off when it was about halfway down the runway and climbed to about tree top level. A few seconds later, the right wing dropped, and the airplane descended into terrain in a nose-down attitude. The engine continued to operate after the impact until the witness turned the magnetos and fuel selector valve off. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane confirmed flight control continuity. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_CEN23LA381.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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