Amateur-built Kitfox III accident near Southwest Ranch, Florida, November 11, 2006
On November 11, 2006 at about 7:19 pm local time, a amateur-built Kitfox III, registered N727PD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Southwest Ranch, Florida. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The owner/builder's improper maintenance/installation of the propeller which resulted in a propeller blade coming loose and separating from the hub.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 11, 2006 · about 7:19 pm local time
- Place
- Southwest Ranch, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Kitfox III
- Registration
- N727PD · registry record
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor stated that while in cruise flight the engine suddenly began to operate "badly", and the whole airplane vibrated intensely. He said that they flew away from the populated residential areas and made a forced landing in the area of a landfill. During the landing rollout the airplane nosed over, incurring damage. According to the FAA inspector who responded to the scene of the accident, upon inspecting the airplane he found one propeller blade missing, with part of the blade root remaining in the hub. Furthermore, he found that one blade mounting bolt was loose and the bolt associated with the missing blade had fractured. The inspector noted no other anomalies with the accident airplane. On May 29, 2007 the NTSB sent the propeller, and its associated mounting hardware, minus the missing blade, to the propeller manufacturer, IVOProp Corporation, Long Beach, California, for further examination, under the supervision of an FAA inspector. The examination revealed that the propeller had been improperly assembled, and was missing the required Motion Detector Tape, which resulted in the blade bolt holes elongating, and one blade separating from the hub in flight.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,050 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 76 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 965 as pilot in command; 88 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 130 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 50 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 402 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2006; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582LC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Southwest Ranch FL at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from FLL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.