Amateur-built KitFox accident near Shoup, Idaho, March 25, 2002
On March 25, 2002 at about 4:00 pm local time, a amateur-built KitFox, registered N139SP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Shoup, Idaho (Colson Creek 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 failure to maintain a speed above stall speed, and the resulting inadvertent stall/mush. Factors include the pilot's failure to abort the takeoff when he realized the aircraft's performance was not as expected, his decision to attempt a takeoff after experiencing an unacceptable rpm drop on each magneto during the engine run-up check, and the failure of the magnetos to maintain an acceptable engine rpm when operated individually.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 25, 2002 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Shoup, Idaho · Colson Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KitFox
- Registration
- N139SP · registry record · serial 59501-0089
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot attempted a takeoff in an experimental aircraft who's engine/propeller combination had not produced the expected rpm since the pilot/builder changed the engine but did not change the propeller. Prior to the attempted takeoff, the pilot experienced a 250 rpm drop on each magneto during the engine run-up check. During the takeoff roll, the pilot realized that the aircraft was not performing as desired, and momentarily thought about aborting, but instead continued. After liftoff, the pilot was unable to get the aircraft to climb, and as he was making a turn over a river situated off the departure end of the runway, the aircraft stall/mushed, and one wing drug in the water. Immediately after the wing contacted the water, the aircraft cartwheeled along the river's surface, coming to rest upright in about 30 inches of water.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,969 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 1, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 28 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 1, 2002; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,550 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin PZLF-4A235831 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Shoup ID at 4:00 pm
- Destination: U15 Challis ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 1,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.