Amateur-built Kitfox Lite Squared accident near Homedale, Idaho, August 12, 2003
On August 12, 2003 at about 8:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Kitfox Lite Squared, registered N222JN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Homedale, Idaho (Homedale Municipal 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 inadequate compensation for winds and his failure to maintain an airspeed above stalling speed (Vs) just as the aircraft was becoming airborne during the takeoff roll. Factors include a gusty quartering tailwind, and the pilot's preflight decision to take off in the downwind direction, and the pilot's total lack of experience in this make and model aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 2003 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Homedale, Idaho · Homedale Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Kitfox Lite Squared
- Registration
- N222JN · no longer on the register · serial 2120287
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The subject aircraft had received its temporary experimental airworthiness certificate on the morning of the accident, and this was to be its first flight. When the temporary certificate was issued, the FAA inspector who issued it told the pilot not to take off on runway 31 until the required 40 hours had been flown off, since to do so might take the aircraft over the town of Homedale, a congested area. At the time the pilot made the decision to take off on runway 13, there was a left quartering tailwind of about 10 knots, gusting to around 15 knots. Although the pilot was aware he was taking off with a tailwind, he did not want to wait until the wind died down, and since he could not take off to the north because of the FAA restriction, he elected to attempt the southerly departure (runway 13). Just after liftoff near the end of the runway, a gust of wind elevated the left wing "...to the point where the tip of the right wing scrapped the runway surface." During the pilot's attempt to recover control of the aircraft, it sank/mushed into the runway surface with sufficient force to result in substantial damage. There was no evidence of any anomalies in the aircraft flight control system or its engine. During the investigation, it was determined that the pilot had never before flown this make and model aircraft.
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: 2,157 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 2,046 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 3, 1989
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S66 Homedale ID at 8:30 pm
- Destination: S66
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 2,900 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°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.
Other NTSB records under N222JN the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.