Amateur-built KR-2 N7026G accident near Wytheville, Virginia

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain control, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the airplane make and model.

NTSB analysis

The pilot, who had accrued 105 hours of flight time, had recently purchased the airplane but had no time in that type airplane. He had been advised by other pilots that he was not ready to fly such an airplane because of the airplane's performance. On the day of the accident, the pilot conducted numerous high-speed taxis and would momentarily lift the airplane off the runway and then land again in an effort to become familiar with the airplane. That afternoon, the pilot again performed a number of high-speed taxis and then took off. The airplane climbed to traffic pattern altitude and made a slow left turn and joined the crosswind leg of the pattern. About 5 seconds after completing the turn, the airplane, which had a right-turning tendency at high angles of attack and high power settings due to its counterclockwise-rotating propeller, rolled to the right, pitched nose down, and entered a spin, completing four rotations before impacting in a field. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any evidence of preimpact malfunctions or failures of the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA12LA011 for the full record.