Amateur-built KITFOX II accident near Colorado Spgs, Colorado, February 28, 1999
On February 28, 1999 at about 7:30 pm local time, a amateur-built KITFOX II, registered N740GP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Colorado Spgs, Colorado (Meadow Lake 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 airplane's encounter with a dust devil during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 28, 1999 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Colorado Spgs, Colorado · Meadow Lake 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 II
- Registration
- N740GP · registry record · serial 496
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing on runway 15, and the right wing encountered a dust devil. He said that the right wing was picked up, and the airplane was rotated approximately 180 degrees. The airplane came to rest between the runway and taxiway. The left wing spar was bent and the left main landing gear was broken off.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 376 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 317 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 20 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 20, 1998; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 00V at 5:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 6,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from COS, 10 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.