Amateur-built KR-2 N37686 accident near Tehachapi, California

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during the approach to the airport.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that he had recently completed extensive work on the engine, and the purpose of the flight was to build time. After departure, he maneuvered in the area of the airport for about 50 minutes and then began a descent to the airport; he later reported that this was his last memory of the flight, and he is unable to recall detailed events surrounding the timeframe of the accident.

A witness reported that he observed the airplane in a descending left turn near the airport and that the engine appeared to be sputtering. The airplane continued the descent until it impacted terrain.

Before the flight, the pilot affixed a video camera to the leading edge of the airplane's horizontal stabilizer. The camera was recovered from the wreckage and the captured video showed, in part, the airplane in a descent toward the airport. As the airplane approached the runway, it entered a left banked turn. The banked turn and descent increased and the airplane subsequently impacted terrain in a left-wing-down, nose-low attitude. The video further showed that the airplane's engine appeared to be operational during the entire flight with no anomalies noted.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR12LA359 for the full record.