Evarts Aviation Inc. KITFOX IV 1200 accident near Sula, Montana, September 26, 1998
On September 26, 1998 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Evarts Aviation Inc. KITFOX IV 1200, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N992WY, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sula, Montana. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An excessive brake application by the pilot. Factors included a narrow landing area, the pilot's failure to maintain directional control during a 180-degree taxi turn, and a tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 1998 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sula, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Evarts Aviation Inc. KITFOX IV 1200 KITFOX IV, amateur-built
- Registration
- N992WY · registry record · serial LCU139
- 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 after landing on a 24-foot-wide road, he initiated a 180-degree turn to the left in order to back-taxi to the tiedown area. He stated that as he steered the aircraft to the right (to give himself room to complete the 180-degree turn), he felt the aircraft 'being pulled...or pushed...too close to the edge of the road' (which has ditches and fences on both sides) and applied brakes. He stated that 'Between aggressive braking, forward momentum, and wind, the aircraft nosed over and landed upside down at the edge of the road....' While the pilot did not explicitly report his landing direction, he reported that he had 'an unusual easterly wind' for the landing, and that 'I have always been able to land to the west' at that location. The pilot reported that no mechanical failure or malfunction was involved.
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: 557 hours in all; 484 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 525 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 471 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 2, 1998; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7S4 Wisdom MT at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,600 ft by 24 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 7 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA98LA195.