Amateur-built KIT FOX VIXEN accident near Weyers Cave, Virginia, February 22, 1998
On February 22, 1998 at about 9:00 pm local time, a amateur-built KIT FOX VIXEN, registered N955F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Weyers Cave, Virginia (Shenandoah Valley Arpt airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the propeller drive train after the pilot/builder installed an improper drive belt.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 22, 1998 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Weyers Cave, Virginia · Shenandoah Valley Arpt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KIT FOX VIXEN KIT FOX VI
- Registration
- N955F · no longer on the register · serial V95050032
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that a few minutes after departure, he smelled 'hot rubber' and started to return to the airport. After the turn, the drive belt between the engine and propeller failed. When the pilot realized that the airplane could not reach the runway, he elected to perform a forced landing in a field. Upon touchdown, the nose wheel dug in the soft terrain and the airplane nosed over. The investigation revealed the builder/pilot had used a 4-inch wide cog belt between the engine and propeller. The cogs were worn off and would not rotate the propeller. The belt manufacturer recommended that cog belts not be used in aviation applications.
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: 190 hours in all; 110 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 110 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 27, 1997; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Yamaha 1300CC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SHD at 8:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 6,002 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:20 pm from SHD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.