- Date
- April 23, 1994, 11:35 local (17:35 UTC)
- Place
- Longmont, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N446GSSavage Kitfox
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 7, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940423009129A
- Case key
- 19042
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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control.
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 said the airplane began to veer to the right during the takeoff roll, and full left rudder input had no effect. The airplane departed the runway, crossed an irrigation ditch, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over. According to a federal aviation administration inspector who witnessed the accident, the winds were light and variable.
Factual narrative
On April 23, 1994, approximately 1135 mountain daylight time, a Kitfox, N446GS, was substantially damaged when it departed the runway during takeoff roll and nosed over at Longmont, Colorado. The private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
The accident was witnessed by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector. The pilot told the inspector he raised the aircraft's tail to lift off and lost directional control. The inspector said the winds were light and variable.
The following is based on the pilot/operator report. During the takeoff roll, the airplane began to veer to the right and full left rudder input did not have any effect. The airplane departed the runway, crossed an irrigation ditch, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N446GS
- Reported as
- Savage Kitfox
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 446
- Airframe hours
- 18
- Engine
- Rotax LC532, 64 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Savage, Gerald M.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 13, 1994 · 1 hours before
- Airport
- 2V2 · Vance Brand Municipal, runway 11, 5,130 × 75 ft, concrete
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
- 54
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 120 total · 10 in this make and model · 45 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 75 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BJC, 15 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.