- Date
- March 15, 1986, 14:50 local (20:50 UTC)
- Place
- Mobile, AL
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N455JSShaffer KR-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860315044269A
- Case key
- 7075
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot lost control of the aircraft during cruise flight while attempting to close the cockpit canopy which inadvertently unlatched. The aircraft entered a spin and the pilot was unable to recover prior to ground impact. The aircraft was an experimental homebuilt which was assembled by the pilot. The canopy latch was a modification to the original plans which was designed and constructed by the pilot.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N455JS
- Reported as
- Shaffer KR-2
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 8009
- Airframe hours
- 175
- Engine
- Volkswagen 1835, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John T. Shaffer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 14, 1986 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- 3R5 · New Braunsfels, TX
- Destination
- MOB · Mobile, AL
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 33
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 339 total · 176 in this make and model · 296 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MOB, 3 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N455JS · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.