Amateur-built KR-2 accident near Mobile, Alabama, March 15, 1986
On March 15, 1986 at about 8:50 pm local time, a amateur-built KR-2, registered N455JS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mobile, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 1986 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Mobile, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KR-2
- Registration
- N455JS · registry record · serial 8009
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 339 hours in all; 176 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 296 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 175 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 1986; 5 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen 1835 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3R5 New Braunsfels TX at 2:00 pm
- Destination: MOB Mobile AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:49 pm from MOB, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N455JS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.