Amateur-built KITFOX III accident near Aniak, Alaska, August 23, 1998
On August 23, 1998, a amateur-built KITFOX III, registered N3203N, was destroyed in an accident near Aniak, Alaska. 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
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision, and an inadvertent stall. Factors in the accident were the pilot/owner's improper installation and pitch setting of the propeller assembly, and a tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 1998
- Place
- Aniak, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX III
- Registration
- N3203N · no longer on the register · serial 1145
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated private pilot was flying cross-country in a tailwheel equipped, experimental/homebuilt airplane. The flight was proceeding in a westbound direction over remote terrain. A tailwind was blowing from the east about 20 knots throughout the flight. The pilot landed at a small airstrip near the accident site for a short rest. During the landing, he damaged a wheel strut. He made repairs to the strut, and departed the airstrip toward the west. The pilot attempted to climb the airplane over a ridgeline that was about 1,700 feet high, and about 10 miles west of the departure point. While attempting to climb over the ridgeline, the airplane stalled, and descended to the ground. The pilot, who was the builder of the airplane, said the airplane's propeller pitch was not set correctly, limiting the airplane's climb capability.
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: 77 hours in all; 13 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 1:35 pm
- Destination: TLT Tuluksak AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; scat at 1,700 ft
- 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.