Amateur-built KITFOX accident near Crawford, Colorado, August 16, 2009
On August 16, 2009 at about 10:15 pm local time, a amateur-built KITFOX, registered N39FM, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Crawford, Colorado (Crawford 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
The pilot's continued flight into a severe downdraft at low altitude after encountering tailwind over the area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 2009 · about 10:15 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Crawford, Colorado · Crawford · cases near this airport · 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
- N39FM · registry record · serial 76
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting aerial observation of his pipeline head gate to check for debris. He overflew the area at 150 feet above ground level (agl) and "observed a light tailwind and no downdraft." He performed a left 360 degree turn and flew over the area a second time between 50 and 60 feet agl. The airplane encountered a "severe downdraft" and settled into terrain. The right wing spar was broken in the impact, as was the right main landing gear and nosewheel. The propeller was destroyed. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
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
- Other weather encounter during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Downdraft › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,776 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 2,380 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 27, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 304 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 8, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 785 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 99V Crawford CO at 10:20 pm
- Destination: 99V Crawford CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 16 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from MTJ, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on August 20, 2009. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N39FM on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Rotax 582 62 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Crawford Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,485 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN09CA528.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.