Amateur-built Kitfox IV accident near Cowen, West Virginia, September 6, 2007
On September 6, 2007 at about 10:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Kitfox IV, registered N93FD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cowen, West Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The in-flight collision with a bird resulting in separation of the propeller.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 2007 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cowen, West Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Kitfox IV
- Registration
- N93FD · no longer on the register · serial JBSO72
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that while at a cruising altitude of about 1,000 feet above ground, a large bird impacted the airplane's wooden propeller, causing it to separate. At the time the airplane was flying at about 110 mph. The pilot made a forced landing in a field with power lines and fences. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted a fence. The airplane then traveled down an embankment and flipped over before coming to a stop. The pilot stated there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions to the airplane or any of its systems prior to the accident.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 791 hours in all; 611 in this make and model; 147 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 811 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2006
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Craigsville WV
- Destination: Upper Glade WV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
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.