Amateur-built KITFOX SUPER SPORT accident near Twin Bridges, Montana, October 18, 2012
On October 18, 2012 at about 8:40 pm local time, a amateur-built KITFOX SUPER SPORT, registered N960WM, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Twin Bridges, Montana (Twin Bridges 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 airplane builder’s failure to rig the flight controls correctly, which resulted in a loss of control after takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 2012 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Twin Bridges, Montana · Twin Bridges · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX SUPER SPORT
- Registration
- N960WM · no longer on the register · serial KA09088156
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot attempted to perform a full-flap soft-field takeoff in the experimental light sport airplane. The pilot had flown about 16 hours in the accident airplane in the 4 months since he purchased it from the airplane builder; however, this was his first attempt at full-flap soft-field takeoff in this airplane. As the airplane left the ground, it rolled abruptly to the right. The right wing tip struck the ground, and the airplane cartwheeled, coming to rest pointing in the opposite direction of intended travel. The right wing and fuselage were substantially damaged. Postaccident examination revealed that the airplane's flaperons were misrigged and that the resultant difference in flaperon deflection was more extreme in the full flap position. In the full flap position with a full left control deflection input, the right flaperon moved 3 degrees more and the left flaperon 3 degrees less than they would have if properly rigged. The asymmetric nature of the flaperon deflections induced an adverse yaw to the right despite the pilot's corrective control inputs. Examination of the airplane maintenance logbook revealed that the airplane builder performed the most recent annual airworthiness inspection 4 1/2 months before 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 takeoff defining event
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Aileron control system › Incorrect service/maintenance
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › TE flap actuator › Incorrect service/maintenance
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Scheduled/routine maintenance › Owner/builder
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,750 hours in all; 16 in this make and model
- Last flight review: August 7, 2012
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 71 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K7S1 Twin Bridges MT at 8:40 pm
- Destination: K7S1 Twin Bridges MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,300 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from KDLN, 20 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.