Amateur-built KITFOX II accident near Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, November 18, 1999
On November 18, 1999 at about 4:45 pm local time, a amateur-built KITFOX II, registered N317RS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ebensburg, Pennsylvania (Ebensburg Airport). 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
was the failure of the pilot to maintain directional control during a bounced landing recovery. A factor was the pilot's lack of experience in make and model.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 1999 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Ebensburg, Pennsylvania · Ebensburg Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX II
- Registration
- N317RS · no longer on the register · serial 317
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was practicing touch and go wheel landings on runway 25, when the airplane bounced. The pilot added power and the airplane initially went left. He added right rudder to correct and the airplane departed the runway on the right side, and went down an embankment. The pilot reported the winds were from 350 degrees at 3 knots. He reported his total flight experience as 150 hours with 5.6 hours in make and model. The FAA examined the airplane and reported no evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 150 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 50 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 65 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 9, 1999; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 532 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9G8 at 4:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,204 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:48 pm from JST, 9 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.