Amateur-built KITFOX SPEEDSTER accident near Youngstown, Ohio, September 28, 1995
On September 28, 1995 at about 9:30 pm local time, a amateur-built KITFOX SPEEDSTER, registered N122DP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Youngstown, Ohio (Youngstown Elser Metro airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the takeoff roll. A related factor was the pilot's lack of familiarity with the aircraft while carrying a passenger.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 1995 · about 9:30 pm local time · cases in 1995
- Place
- Youngstown, Ohio · Youngstown Elser Metro · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX SPEEDSTER KITFOX SPE
- Registration
- N122DP · registry record · serial FBS-024
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he had just '...completed my 40 hours of solo time...' and was making his first flight with a passenger when the accident occurred. The pilot stated that he '...began the take off roll [and] the plane started to go slightly left. I apparently over controlled [the airplane and] the plane ground looped.... ' The pilot stated that his unfamiliarity with the 'possible quirks' of the airplane, and the additional weight in the airplane may have been factors in this accident.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,300 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 1,083 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 40 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4G4 at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 3,703 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N122DP on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Rotax 912 UL 134 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Youngstown Elser Metro Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Ohio 1,884 since 1982 · 253 in the last ten years
- Ohio 8,529 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/BFO95LA099.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.