- Date
- October 18, 2025, 13:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Kilgore, ID
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N98RWRoderick James Willmore Kitfox S7 Supersport
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 15, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA- FSDO SLC
- FAA report
- 20251018017789A
- Case key
- 201904
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 during the takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the separation of the control stick grip.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, during the takeoff roll on a dirt road, he realized he had not reset the pitch trim until he was applying control inputs to lift the tail up. As he applied back-pressure to the control stick to get the airplane airborne, the control stick grip slipped off, and he lost control of the airplane. The airplane then veered to the right, and despite his attempts, he was unable to regain control of the airplane. Subsequently, the airplane exited the road surface, and the left wing impacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no additional preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N98RW
- Reported as
- Roderick James Willmore Kitfox S7 Supersport
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- KA 19012436
- Built
- 2020
- Airframe hours
- 229
- Engine
- Rotax 912 ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · July 2, 2025
- Departed
- U12 · St. Anthony, ID
- Airport
- N/A
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot, Unknown
- Last flight review
- November 9, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,065 total · 260 in this make and model · 994 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- KRXE, 37 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KRXE 181953Z AUTO 26005KT 10SM CLR 10/M04 A3020 RMK AO2 SLP222 T01001044=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 15, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.