Amateur-built Sky Star Kitfox accident near Klamath Falls, Oregon, September 12, 2005
On September 12, 2005 at about 3:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Sky Star Kitfox, registered N852PG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Klamath Falls, Oregon (Klamath Falls 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 binding of the flaperon push pull tube due to deformation of the front seat, which resulted in a loss of control on takeoff initial climb and collision with the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 2005 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Klamath Falls, Oregon · Klamath Falls · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Sky Star Kitfox
- Registration
- N852PG · registry record · serial S94050025
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot/builder, he had completed the required number of initial solo flight hours following construction of the experimental airplane, and he wanted to familiarize himself with the airplane's flight characteristics when carrying additional weight before carrying a passenger. He placed a bag of cement in the right seat and used the lap and shoulder belts to secure the bag. He completed a "normal runup and control checks" and then performed a normal takeoff on runway 14. At an altitude of 20 to 30 feet, he "could not move flaperons." As he "applied more pressure stick moved abruptly to right." The airplane banked to the right, the pilot corrected, and the airplane banked to the left. He was unable to maintain control of the airplane, and the left wingtip contacted the runway. The airplane settled onto the runway, and the left main gear collapsed. When the pilot examined the airplane after the accident, he found scrape marks on the flaperon push pull tube that was routed below the front seat. He also noted that the "seat was lower than normal after crash."
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: 818 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LMT Klamath Falls OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.