Amateur-built KITFOX accident near Carson City, Nevada, February 9, 2018
On February 9, 2018 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 2008 amateur-built KITFOX, registered N377KJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Carson City, Nevada (Carson airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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-receiving-instruction’s failure to maintain directional control during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 9, 2018 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Carson City, Nevada · Carson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX 7, built 2008
- Registration
- N377KJ · no longer on the register · serial S70308036
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor in the tailwheel-equipped experimental amateur-built airplane, reported that he was providing aircraft transition training and tailwheel training to the pilot. The pilot taxied to the runway and successfully completed three high-speed takeoff rolls. He then taxied into position for a normal takeoff, and the pilot requested that the flight instructor stay on the controls during the takeoff. The instructor reported that during takeoff with the pilot-receiving-instruction on the controls, as the airplane started to climb, the airplane drifted to the right and settled back to the ground. The instructor applied left rudder and attempted to continue the takeoff, but the right main landing gear collided with a drainage culvert. The airplane spun to the right and came to rest upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage fuselage. Both pilots reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during takeoff
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wall/barricade › Contributed to outcome
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 15,320 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 15,150 as pilot in command; 6,150 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 7, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 537 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 451 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 30, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 283 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 24, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 283 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CXP Carson City NV at 6:00 pm
- Destination: CXP Carson City NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 6,101 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 5:15 pm from KCXP, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on June 15, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 Pi | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.