19990914038509A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Amtr KR-2 · Mariposa, CA · September 14, 1999

Date
September 14, 1999 · 18:10 local
Place
Mariposa, CA
Airport
Mariposa-Yosemite Airport
Phase of flight
To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N71KN
NTSB investigation
NTSBLAX99LA303
Reported as
Amtr KR2
Reported engine
AMTRVW VW2100VOLKS
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
Pilot’s flight hours
322 total95 in this make and model74 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Following a local area flight the amateur-built airplane returned to the departure airport and entered the traffic pattern. Following a touch-and-go landing, the airplane climbed to about 200 feet AGL over the departure end of the runway and made an abrupt right roll to nearly a 90-degree bank angle. It then turned to a northerly heading, and, as it turned, descended in a wings vertical attitude into terrain near the runway end. Three persons reported they had seen the pilot perform the steep right turn departure maneuver on previous occasions. One witness reported that the engine was operating smoothly during the touch-and-go and until impact; a second reported the engine was operating smoothly during the touch-and-go but did not recall the engine sound during the descent to impact; and a third witness reported that the engine 'sputtered' during the climb and descent to impact. The aircraft impacted in a steep nose down attitude. There was fuel spilling from the aircraft and the aircraft's flight controls were continuous at the accident site. No heavy aircraft were reported to have preceded the aircraft on the departure runway.

As the FAA filed it

FOLLOWING A LOCAL AREA FLIGHT THE AMATEUR-BUILT AIRPLANE RETURNED TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT AND ENTERED THE TRAFFIC PATTERN. FOLLOWING A TOUCH-AND-GO LANDING, THE AIRPLANE CLIMBED TO ABOUT 200 FEET AGL OVER THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY AND MADE AN ABRUPT RIGHT ROLL TO NEARLY A 90-DEGREE BANK ANGLE. IT THEN TURNED TO A NORTHERLY HEADING, AND, AS IT TURNED, DESCENDED IN A WINGS VERTICAL ATTITUDE INTO TERRAIN NEAR THE RUNWAY END. THREE PERSONS REPORTED THEY HAD SEEN THE PILOT PERFORM THE STEEP RIGHT TURN DEPARTURE MANEUVER ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS. ONE WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE WAS OPERATING SMOOTHLY DURING THE TOUCH-AND-GO AND UNTIL IMPACT; A SECOND REPORTED THE ENGINE WAS OPERATING SMOOTHLY DURING THE TOUCH-AND-GO BUT DID NOT RECALL THE ENGINE SOUND DURING THE DESCENT TO IMPACT; AND A THIRD WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE 'SPUTTERED' DURING THE CLIMB AND DESCENT TO IMPACT. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THERE WAS FUEL SPILLING FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND THE AIRCRAFT'S FLIGHT CONTROLS WERE CONTINUOUS AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. NO HEAVY AIRCRAFT WERE REPORTED TO HAVE PRECEDED THE AIRCRAFT ON THE DEPARTURE RUNWAY.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.