Narrative:

I have completed construction of experimental kitfox model 4 and received airworthiness. After completion of slow and high speed taxi testing and determining the aircraft to be stable during ground operations; this was the first flight of this aircraft. The test plan was followed regarding the takeoff and climb to between 2;500-3;500 ft and staying within gliding distance of the airport. Approximately 12 minutes into the flight after the first exploration of the stall speeds; the throttle cable became disconnected from the carburetor. The engine remained running and there was no problem with control of the aircraft. During the next 15 minutes exploration of technique to position the airplane to enter a traffic pattern was the focus. I informed the tower at ZZZ of the fact that my throttle had become disconnected and that I would need a runway in the near future on which to perform a dead stick landing. The controller was of great help and asked if I would need assistance; to which I replied 'yes.' the controller informed me to switch frequency to the unicom frequency in order to talk with my ground support crew. I was thinking at the time that I would need assistance after landing in order to push the airplane off the runway and taxiways. I was a bit busy at the time since the engine was now slowly decreasing in power output down to almost idle; but was surging. I informed the tower on the tower frequency that I would not be able to remain airborne much longer and was in need of the runway. I was cleared to land on runway 4R. As I turned from base leg to final; I shut off both magnetos and set up a final glide to runway 4R and glided to touchdown approximately 1/3 down the runway and rolled to a stop prior to reaching a taxiway. I thanked the controller for all the help via radio and then climbed out of the airplane to begin pushing off the runway. My crew received clearance from the tower to drive onto the runway and help push the aircraft to the ramp. My crew was accompanied by an airport employee. After clearing the runways and taxiways of aircraft and ground vehicles; the tower was informed we were clear of the movement areas and thanked again. At no time did I declare an emergency. Unknown to me while in the air; the airport personnel called the local fire department and there was fire equipment and personnel dispatched to the airport. I did not request the fire department at any time. I have more than 1;500 hours in high performance sailplanes and have more than 50 off-field landings in sailplanes during contest flying. Landing with no engine was certainly easier for me using this experience. Regarding the reason for the throttle disconnection; the problem apparently was caused by failure to spread the tails of the cotter pin which was to hold the clevis pin through the fork/throttle arm connection. The pin simply vibrated out and the cable was no longer linked. The good outcome of the flight I attribute to first having a flight test plan and sticking to the plan. I received council from my pilot organization flight advisor as well as a friend who is a professional flight test engineer. This kept the airplane over the airport for such possibilities and provided the altitude to work with. Prior to the first flight; I sought out experience in type and had recent flight time in a kitfox.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Failure to properly secure a throttle linkage cotter pin during the manufacture of a Kitfox homebuilt resulted in the loss of throttle control and ultimately a dead stick landing during the initial test flight.

Narrative: I have completed construction of Experimental Kitfox Model 4 and received airworthiness. After completion of slow and high speed taxi testing and determining the aircraft to be stable during ground operations; this was the first flight of this aircraft. The test plan was followed regarding the takeoff and climb to between 2;500-3;500 FT and staying within gliding distance of the airport. Approximately 12 minutes into the flight after the first exploration of the stall speeds; the throttle cable became disconnected from the carburetor. The engine remained running and there was no problem with control of the aircraft. During the next 15 minutes exploration of technique to position the airplane to enter a traffic pattern was the focus. I informed the Tower at ZZZ of the fact that my throttle had become disconnected and that I would need a runway in the near future on which to perform a dead stick landing. The Controller was of great help and asked if I would need assistance; to which I replied 'Yes.' The Controller informed me to switch frequency to the UNICOM frequency in order to talk with my ground support crew. I was thinking at the time that I would need assistance after landing in order to push the airplane off the runway and taxiways. I was a bit busy at the time since the engine was now slowly decreasing in power output down to almost idle; but was surging. I informed the Tower on the Tower frequency that I would not be able to remain airborne much longer and was in need of the runway. I was cleared to land on Runway 4R. As I turned from base leg to final; I shut off both magnetos and set up a final glide to Runway 4R and glided to touchdown approximately 1/3 down the runway and rolled to a stop prior to reaching a taxiway. I thanked the Controller for all the help via radio and then climbed out of the airplane to begin pushing off the runway. My crew received clearance from the Tower to drive onto the runway and help push the aircraft to the ramp. My crew was accompanied by an airport employee. After clearing the runways and taxiways of aircraft and ground vehicles; the Tower was informed we were clear of the movement areas and thanked again. At no time did I declare an emergency. Unknown to me while in the air; the airport personnel called the local Fire Department and there was fire equipment and personnel dispatched to the airport. I did not request the Fire Department at any time. I have more than 1;500 hours in high performance sailplanes and have more than 50 off-field landings in sailplanes during contest flying. Landing with no engine was certainly easier for me using this experience. Regarding the reason for the throttle disconnection; the problem apparently was caused by failure to spread the tails of the cotter pin which was to hold the clevis pin through the fork/throttle arm connection. The pin simply vibrated out and the cable was no longer linked. The good outcome of the flight I attribute to first having a flight test plan and sticking to the plan. I received council from my pilot organization flight advisor as well as a friend who is a professional flight test engineer. This kept the airplane over the airport for such possibilities and provided the altitude to work with. Prior to the first flight; I sought out experience in type and had recent flight time in a Kitfox.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.