Roderick James Willmore KITFOX S7 SUPERSPORT N98RW

Summary

On 18 October 2025 at about 19:30 local time, a Roderick James Willmore KITFOX S7 SUPERSPORT registered N98RW was involved in an accident near Kilgore, Idaho, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 October 2025 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Kilgore, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

44.4013, -111.8897

Aircraft

Roderick James Willmore KITFOX S7 SUPERSPORT

Registration

N98RW

Category

Airplane

Year built

2020

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St. Anthony → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR26LA029

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the separation of the control stick grip.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.