Amateur-built KITFOX accident near Wasilla, Alaska, March 22, 1997
On March 22, 1997 at about 4:25 pm local time, a amateur-built KITFOX, registered N9KF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska (Wolf Lake Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a broken electrical wire, which resulted in an inoperative electrical fuel pump, an overly lean mixture, fuel starvation, and loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 1997 · about 4:25 pm local time
- Place
- Wasilla, Alaska · Wolf Lake Airstrip
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX
- Registration
- N9KF · registry record · serial 134
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed a private airstrip after performing a stop-and-go landing in a home built airplane. The airplane climbed to about 200 ft above the ground, and the pilot heard a loud popping sound. The engine quit running, and a turn was made toward a nearby road. The pilot made an emergency landing on the road, but the right wing struck a tree during the landing roll. The engine was a modified automotive engine. The propeller was not directly bolted to the crankshaft of the engine. The design used a reduction gearbox between the crankshaft and the propeller. The design allowed the propeller to free-wheel when not being powered by the engine. The manufacturer indicated the fuel system used a throttle body injection that would operate on as little as 1/2 psi, and gravity flow from wing mounted fuel tanks was sufficient to allow the engine to operate at 75 percent power. The fuel system used an electric fuel pump to supply fuel pressure to the throttle body fuel injection for cold starting. The pump was electrically powered via an electrical jumper wire from the battery bus to the pump. The pilot indicated that during a postaccident examination of the airplane, he found the electrical jumper wire broken. The pilot also indicated an overly lean mixture condition would have resulted when the engine was operated at full power without the fuel pump.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,813 hours in all; 340 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,599 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 340 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 2, 1997; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru EA81-100-TBI (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 2,400 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°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.