Amateur-built KITFOX III accident near Monument Valley, Utah, July 17, 2010
On July 17, 2010 at about 7:30 pm local time, a amateur-built KITFOX III, registered N888TL, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Monument Valley, Utah (Monument Valley 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 the wind effects and failure to maintain directional control during an attempted go-around from a landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2010 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Monument Valley, Utah · Monument Valley Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX III
- Registration
- N888TL · no longer on the register · serial 980
- 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 during landing and just before touchdown the wind shifted to a tailwind. The airplane landed hard and bounced back into the air. The pilot then added full power in an attempt to execute a go-around. He stated that the airplane failed to climb and drifted off to the left side of the runway until the left wing hit the ground, resulting in the airplane flipping over. The pilot reported that there were no malfunctions with the airplane prior to the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
- Runway excursion during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: private, sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 574 hours in all; 242 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 498 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 4, 2010
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 450 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 5, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru 2200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEZ Sedona AZ at 4:30 pm
- Destination: UT25 Monument Valley UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 102°F (39°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from PGA, 60 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.