Amateur-built KOLB FIRESTAR II accident near Souris, North Dakota, September 17, 1995
On September 17, 1995 at about 10:10 pm local time, a amateur-built KOLB FIRESTAR II, registered N42996, was destroyed in an accident near Souris, North Dakota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain control of the ultralight vehicle.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 1995 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Souris, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KOLB FIRESTAR II KOLB FIRES
- Registration
- N42996 · no longer on the register · serial F1036
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The two-seat homebuilt ultralight was observed making a right turn at an altitude of about 100 to 200 feet above the ground. A witness reported the airplane '...dropped nose first, like it was in slow motion.' According to another witness, the airplane collided with the ground while in a '...sharp descent....' The on-scene investigation revealed no preimpact airframe or flight control failure. There was a pilot and two small children on the ultralight in a tandem seating configuration.
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: 155 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 113 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 26 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 20, 1994; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 725 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from MDT, 46 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N42996 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.