Amateur-built KITFOX III accident near Oxford, Iowa, March 20, 1994
On March 20, 1994 at about 5:00 pm local time, a amateur-built KITFOX III, registered N596D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oxford, Iowa (Green Castle airport). It was an instructional 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 failure of the pilot-in-command (CFI) to maintain directional control. A factor related to the accident was the inadvertent interference with the flight controls by the student pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 1994 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Oxford, Iowa · Green Castle · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX III KITFOX II
- Registration
- N596D · no longer on the register · serial 802
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certified flight instructor was attempting to land the airplane after the student pilot's first instructional flight. During the landing attempt a gust of wind raised the left wing. The flight instructor could not level the wings because the student had his leg against the control stick. The instructor landed in a soft field next to the runway, and the airplane nosed-over.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 547 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days; 44 in the last 30 days; 508 as pilot in command; 71 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 172 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 3, 1993; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 2,600 ft by 25 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 pm from CI, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.