Amateur-built Kitfox IV accident near Eagle Point, Oregon, April 6, 2005
On April 6, 2005 at about 9:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Kitfox IV, registered N70265, was substantially damaged in an accident near Eagle Point, Oregon (Beagle Sky airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Loss of partial engine power during initial climb for undetermined reasons. Soft terrain was a factor
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 2005 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Eagle Point, Oregon · Beagle Sky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Kitfox IV
- Registration
- N70265 · registry record · serial BDU-155
- 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 shortly after take off, about 150 feet above ground level, the engine lost partial power. The airplane was unable to maintain altitude, and the pilot initiated an off airport emergency landing to an open field. During the landing roll, the nose gear collapsed when the pilot tried to maneuver away from obstructions. The pilot further reported that this was the first flight after the airplane had been setting for about three months with the fuel tanks only partially full. The pilot stated that he had accumulated about ten hours of flight time since he purchased this aircraft. During an inspection of the airframe and engine by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector no evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction was found.
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: 200 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 200 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 118 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2005; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Bombardier Rotax 912 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Eagle Point OR at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.78 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from MFR, 10 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.
Other NTSB records under N70265 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.