Amateur-built Kitfox IV accident near Ashland, Oregon, December 29, 2001
On December 29, 2001 at about 10:50 pm local time, a amateur-built Kitfox IV, registered N38DK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ashland, Oregon (Ashland Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's excessive use of brakes. A factor was the pilot's lack of recent experience in type of aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 2001 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Ashland, Oregon · Ashland Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Kitfox IV
- Registration
- N38DK · registry record · serial 1537
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported in a written statement that during the landing roll and as the aircraft was slowing, he applied the brakes to make a turn onto the taxiway. The pilot stated that when he applied the brakes, they "grabbed" and the aircraft nosed over. After the accident, the pilot reported to a state trooper that he applied the brakes a little hard to make a turn off and flipped over. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the aircraft at the time. The pilot also reported that this was the first flight in a tail wheel equipped aircraft in the previous five months.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 8, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 202 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2001; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Ruch OR at 10:00 pm
- Destination: S03 Ashland OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 3,603 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from MFR, 14 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.