Amateur-built KITFOX MODEL 1 accident near Salem, Oregon, June 4, 2018
On June 4, 2018 at about 1:15 am local time, a 2011 amateur-built KITFOX MODEL 1, registered N375KF, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Salem, Oregon (Blue Skies Farm airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's improper decision to operate an airplane for which he was not endorsed to fly solo and in which he had limited experience or training, and his subsequent loss of airplane control after takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 2018 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Salem, Oregon · Blue Skies Farm · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX MODEL 1, built 2011
- Registration
- N375KF · no longer on the register · serial 88
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot had just completed maintenance on his newly purchased experimental, amateur-built light sport airplane and told a witness that he was going to conduct taxi tests. A few hours after observing the airplane taxi along the runway multiple times, he noticed that the student's vehicle and trailer were still parked at the airport but that the airplane was not there. The airplane wreckage was subsequently located near the edge of a wooded area about 100 yards from the runway. The student's flight instructor estimated that the he had accumulated about 35 total hours of flight experience, almost all of which was in another make and model airplane. He stated that he did not think the student had not previously flown the accident airplane make and model. The fuselage exhibited accordion-style crushing damage, consistent with a near-vertical impact indicative of a loss of airplane control. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Although toxicological testing detected one potentially sedating antihistamine in the student's urine, it was not detected in blood. Therefore, the use of the medication likely did not contribute to the accident. Based on the available evidence, it is likely that the student decided to take off in the airplane and, shortly after takeoff, lost airplane control. The student had not been endorsed by an instructor to fly the accident airplane solo and likely didn't not have the experience to maintain control after takeoff.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Qualification/certification › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Training › Total instruct/training recvd › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 32 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Hks 700E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OR87 Salem OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 1,345 ft by 45 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on June 25, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electronic Devices - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation - Witness | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation - CFI | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.