Amateur-built KITFOX 3 accident near Elm Creek, Nebraska, May 14, 2012
On May 14, 2012 at about 8:30 pm local time, a amateur-built KITFOX 3, registered N7199T, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Elm Creek, Nebraska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to verify the amount of oil in the injection oil reservoir before takeoff, which resulted in an insufficient fuel/oil ratio and subsequent loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 14, 2012 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Elm Creek, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX 3
- Registration
- N7199T · registry record · serial 1155
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident occurred on the first flight following a condition inspection. The pilot reported that about 50 minutes after takeoff, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot lowered the nose of the airplane and was able to restart the engine. The loss of engine power occurred five more times, and the pilot was able to regain power after each power loss except for the last. The pilot chose a field in which to land, but the airplane collided with a grass embankment before arriving at the field. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed the pistons in the two-cycle engine had seized due to a lack of lubrication. The injection oil reservoir contained an unusable amount of oil. The integrity of the oil injection system was verified and no breaches were noted. The pilot stated that he did not check the oil level during the preflight inspection.
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 engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Oil › Fluid level
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng oil sys › Not serviced/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 32,914 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 51 in the last 30 days; 15,000 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 30, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 129 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 10, 2012; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582LC (piston); 129 hours total
- Operator: Gothenburg Leasing, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: K07K Central City NE at 7:30 pm
- Destination: KGTE Gothenburg NE
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from GRI, 62 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN12LA302.