Amateur-built Kitfox accident near Nikiski, Alaska, September 11, 2003
On September 11, 2003, a amateur-built Kitfox, registered N20TZ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nikiski, Alaska (Arness Lake Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power for an undetermined reason, which resulted in an overrun during the emergency landing, and subsequent nose over in swampy terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 11, 2003
- Place
- Nikiski, Alaska · Arness Lake Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Kitfox
- Registration
- N20TZ · registry record · serial 596080188
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that after takeoff, as he climbed the experimental/homebuilt airplane to about 1,200 feet above the ground, the engine began to misfire, and he elected to return to the departure airstrip. As the flight entered the traffic pattern for landing, he retarded the throttle to begin his approach, and all engine power was lost. During the emergency approach to the 1,740 foot long gravel-covered airstrip, he inadvertently flew further down the airstrip than planned. After touchdown, he was unable to stop his landing roll before reaching the end of the airstrip. The airplane subsequently rolled down an embankment, into an area of swampy, soft terrain, and nosed over. The airplane sustained structural damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot did not indicate what precipitated the loss of engine power.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 195 hours in all; 189 in this make and model; 160 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 338 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 13, 2002; 262 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,550 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Canadian Air Motive (Honda) CAM 100 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6Z1 Nikiski AK at 7:00 pm
- Destination: 6Z1 Nikiski AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 1,740 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.