- Date
- February 28, 1999, 12:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Colorado Spgs, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N740GPParsons Kitfox II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 13, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990228047279A
- Case key
- 45811
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The airplane's encounter with a dust devil during landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot was landing on runway 15, and the right wing encountered a dust devil. He said that the right wing was picked up, and the airplane was rotated approximately 180 degrees. The airplane came to rest between the runway and taxiway. The left wing spar was bent and the left main landing gear was broken off.
Factual narrative
On February 28, 1999, approximately 1230 mountain standard time, a Parsons Kitfox II, N740GP, was substantially damaged following an encounter with unforecasted weather during landing at Meadow Lake Airport, Colorado Springs, Colorado. The private pilot, the sole occupant in the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was being operated by the owner/builder under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local personal flight which originated 2 hours, 15 minutes before the accident. No flight plan had been filed.
According to the pilot, he landed on runway 15. He stated that a dust devil picked up the right wing and rotated the airplane 180 degrees. The airplane came to rest between the runway and taxiway. The left wing spar was bent and the left main landing gear was broken off.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N740GP
- Reported as
- Parsons Kitfox II
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 496
- Airframe hours
- 20
- Engine
- Rotax 582, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Glen Parsons
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 20, 1998 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- 00V
- Airport
- 00V · Meadow Lake Airport, runway 15, 6,000 × 60 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 376 total · 11 in this make and model · 317 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- COS, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.