Amateur-built KITFOX accident near Greeley, Colorado, May 10, 1997
On May 10, 1997 at about 7:57 pm local time, a amateur-built KITFOX, registered N950AW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greeley, Colorado. 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 engine manufacturer's inadequate quality control by failing to install the harmonic balancer, causing the engine to fail catastrophically. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain on which to make a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 10, 1997 · about 7:57 pm local time
- Place
- Greeley, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX
- Registration
- N950AW · no longer on the register · serial 950
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was test flying his experimental airplane in the local area when the engine lost partial power then seized. The airplane landed hard, shearing off the right main landing gear and buckling the fuselage. Post accident disassembly of the engine revealed evidence of high heat distress and a lack of lubrication. The builder said he had adjusted the fuel-oil metering system on previous occasions because the engine was difficult to start and operated erratically. Operating temperatures were also high. The engine was further examined by an independent repair facility. They found that the engine did not have a harmonic balancer, which allowed the crankshaft bearings on the magneto end to move within the crankcase. Extreme internal heat build up and oil starvation damaged the crankshaft bearings, rotary valve, disk, and gear, and caused the connecting rod to eventually fail.
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 single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 1,888 as pilot in command; 1,252 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 11, 1997; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 LC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GXY CO at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from GXY, 1 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.