Amateur-built KITFOX IV accident near Marana, Arizona, March 29, 2025
On March 29, 2025 at about 4:45 pm local time, a 1998 amateur-built KITFOX IV, registered N70265, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Marana, Arizona. 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 failure to maintain clearance from an obstacle while performing an off-airport landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 29, 2025 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Marana, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KITFOX IV, built 1998
- 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 stated that he departed a private airstrip the morning of the accident and flew to a nearby public airport. After performing several touch-and-go takeoffs and landings in the traffic pattern, he departed the traffic pattern to continue the flight. He opted to perform an off-airport landing in an open dirt field at a state park. After one reconnaissance pass, he verified that the intended touchdown area appeared flat and smooth except for a few obstacles, one of which included a dead tree stump on the left side of the rollout path. During the three-point touchdown, the airplane drifted left. As the pilot attempted to correct the drift, the airplane aligned directly with the stump. The left main gear struck the stump, shearing the wheel assembly at the axle, which dug into the dirt. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted, facing the opposite direction, which resulted in substantial damage to the rudder and fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 77 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 14 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 4, 2024
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 514 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 23, 2024; 502.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912UL (piston); 514 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4AZ8 Marana AZ at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 10:35 am from KMZJ, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KMZJ 291735Z AUTO 24010KT 10SM CLR 24/M05 A2987 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 21, 2025. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Picture | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.