N87TJ

On August 22, 1995, approximately 1930 mountain daylight time, a Kitfox 1, N87TJ, sustained substantial damage when it collided with a fence in an aborted takeoff from an unprepared surface on a farm near Pompeys Pillar, Montana. Neither the private pilot nor his passenger were injured. The pilot owned, but had not built, the kit-built airplane, which was powered by a Rotax 532 engine rated at 65 horsepower. The intended flight was to be a local 14 CFR 91 flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed.

The pilot reported that he attempted to take off with himself (weight 180 pounds), a 200-pound passenger, and 10 gallons of fuel on board. He reported the gross weight of the airplane at takeoff as 907 pounds and a maximum gross weight for the aircraft of 950 pounds. He reported weather information from Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) as: temperature 89 degrees Fahrenheit, altimeter setting 29.95 inches Hg, and wind from 060 degrees magnetic at 4 knots. (NOTE: Billings, approximately 23 miles away, is the nearest ATIS broadcast to the accident site.) He reported that the attempted takeoff area was approximately 3,203 feet above sea level and that the available surface consisted of approximately 700 feet of wheat field stubble. Based on the ATIS weather conditions and takeoff area elevation reported by the pilot, density altitude at the time of the accident was 5,900 feet.

According to a diagram supplied by the pilot, his takeoff attempt was to the north. His report stated: "Take off roll sluggish, tried to rotate at 40 mph, no lift. Decreased power, applied brakes, not enough runway left. Went through barbed wire fence and hit small irrigation ditch...then veered to the right into two big ditches and flipped over...."

After the accident, the pilot stated in a telephone interview with the investigator that because the airplane was certified as an experimental category aircraft, there was no takeoff performance data provided with the aircraft for preflight planning, other than generic specifications stated by the kit manufacturer, and that he believed that the accident "wouldn't have happened if more of a performance chart were available." The investigator subsequently utilized a SkyStar Aircraft Corporation advertising brochure and a commercially available generic takeoff performance computer to estimate takeoff distance required under conditions approximating the accident. The SkyStar brochure gave the takeoff distance for the Kitfox Classic IV, equipped with a 65-hp engine and at a gross weight of 1,200 pounds, as 250 feet. Utilizing this entering distance, the following conditions were then set on the computer: fixed-pitch propeller, temperature 90 degrees F; 3,200 feet pressure altitude; soft field/mud/snow surface condition; zero slope and wind; and 95 percent of maximum gross weight. The computer predicted takeoff distance for the conditions entered to be approximately 600 feet.

The pilot submitted an excerpt from his logbook with his accident report. The following remark had been entered on the line for the accident flight: "Misjudged takeoff in stubble field no wind no go [too] late...." Additionally, in his accident report, he made the following recommendation as to how the accident could have been prevented: "no go decision sooner in takeoff roll." Finally, the passenger submitted a statement in which he stated: "...I think the pilot was a little late in deciding to go or not go".