Amateur-built KITFOX III accident near Meadow Grove, Nebraska, June 4, 1997
On June 4, 1997 at about 10:30 pm local time, a amateur-built KITFOX III, registered N515JK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Meadow Grove, Nebraska (Lowell Hale 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
failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane during an aborted takeoff. A factor was the pilot's lack of recent experience in the make and model of airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 1997 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Meadow Grove, Nebraska · Lowell Hale · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX III
- Registration
- N515JK · registry record · serial 1082
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an FAA Private Pilot Proficiency Check, the pilot was to complete three touch & go's for an FAA examiner, who was observing from the ground. This was the pilot's first flight in the airplane, since he ground looped it on 6/4/97. The pilot reported that on the initial takeoff roll, 'the tail didn't appear to come up with the stick forward. I tried to abort the take off but couldn't get the throttle pulled back. While struggling with the throttle I lost control.' The airplane veered to the left, exited the prepared runway surface, and came to rest in an adjacent field. After the accident, the pilot stated that he didn't know how to use the vernier type throttle properly.
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: 133 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 120 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 30, 1996; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912-3792756 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RLA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 pm from OFK, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.