Amateur-built KR2S accident near Pueblo, Colorado, September 16, 2012
On September 16, 2012 at about 2:20 pm local time, a amateur-built KR2S, registered N966G, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern downwind) near Pueblo, Colorado (Pueblo Memorial Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of airplane control while maneuvering to land, which resulted in a stall and uncontrolled descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 2012 · about 2:20 pm local time
- Place
- Pueblo, Colorado · Pueblo Memorial Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KR2S
- Registration
- N966G · no longer on the register · serial 136
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Two minutes after takeoff, during climbout, the sport pilot of the amateur-built experimental airplane called the air traffic control tower and requested to return to the airport for suspected carburetor icing. The tower controller acknowledged the call and told the pilot to enter the traffic pattern. The controller then asked the pilot if he needed any assistance, and the pilot replied that he did not. The controller subsequently cleared the flight to land. The controller observed the airplane approaching the airport "fast" and then appearing to go around. The airplane then made a hard right turn about 200 ft above ground level, appeared to stall, and then descended toward the ground in a nose-low, right-wing-down attitude. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the propeller hub assembly revealed damage to the wooden propeller blades consistent with the engine operating at the time of impact. The temperature and dew point about the time of the accident were conducive to the accumulation of serious carburetor icing at any power setting. Therefore, it is likely that, as suspected by the pilot, the carburetor had accumulated icing, which affected the engine's performance during the climbout. The airplane was equipped with a carburetor heating system; however, due to impact damage, it could not be determined whether the system was turned on or functioning at the time of the accident. An associate of the pilot reported that the airplane's original engine had recently been replaced and that the accident flight may have been the first or second flight with the new engine installation. No evidence was found indicating that the new engine installation contributed to the accident. Although toxicological tests conducted on the pilot were positive for medications that can cause sedation and degraded psychomotor performance, the available information was insufficient to determine if the pilot's performance was degraded by either the medications or by the conditions being treated with the medications.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern downwind) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 200 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PUB Pueblo CO at 2:14 pm
- Destination: PUB Pueblo CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from PUB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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.