Amateur-built Kitfox Model III accident near New London, New Hampshire, July 2, 2005
On July 2, 2005 at about 7:03 pm local time, a amateur-built Kitfox Model III, registered N795JL, was substantially damaged in an accident near New London, New Hampshire (Eagles Nest airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin. A factor in the accident was the tail wind condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 2005 · about 7:03 pm local time
- Place
- New London, New Hampshire · Eagles Nest · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Kitfox Model III
- Registration
- N795JL · no longer on the register · serial 795
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane took off from runway 14 and after clearing a tree line, it entered a right spin, and vertically impacted a golf course. A retired airline pilot stated that winds at the time were from the west, gusting to about 30 mph, and the windsock was "straight out." The airline pilot further stated that the pilots normally took off from runway 14 and landed on runway 32 because of the slope of the runway, but the policy wasn't "cut in stone." The airplane was purchased by the pilot about a month earlier; however, he and another pilot had previously owned the same make and model, which was substantially damaged when a hangar roof collapsed on it about 4 years earlier. The pilot had accrued an estimated 15-20 hours in the accident airplane, and had taken off under similar wind conditions "many times." The pilot had a heart condition, but there was no evidence that it contributed to the accident. An examination of the wreckage revealed no mechanical anomalies.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 697 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NH40 New London NH at 7:03 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 2,800 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 pm from CON, 17 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.