Experimental Desert Fox 1 Overruns Dirt Runway in Ellicott,…

Car Crash Ellicott Colorado in Ellicott, Colorado: The pilot of an experimental Desert Fox 1 reported the airplane felt sluggish during the takeoff roll from a dirt runway at an airport in Ellicott, Colorado, and bounced down the runway before overrunning it. The pilot sustained minor injuries in the crash. An FAA inspector found evidence of nine impact points from the right main wheel along about 60% of the runway length, and post-accident examination revealed the right main landing gear axle mount had separated from the landing gear leg due to insufficient weld penetration. The NTSB listed the probable cause as the pilot's decision to take off with a quartering tailwind and high density altitude, with the failed right main axle mount weld as a contributing factor.