Amateur-built KELEHER LARK KR1B accident near Georgetown, Texas, January 14, 1998
On January 14, 1998 at about 9:00 pm local time, a amateur-built KELEHER LARK KR1B, registered N82BP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Georgetown, Texas. 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 failure to maintain aircraft control. A contributing factor was the pilot's physical impairment due to drugs.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 14, 1998 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Georgetown, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KELEHER LARK KR1B KELEHER LA
- Registration
- N82BP · registry record · serial 191
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the aircraft takeoff. When it did not return, a search was initiated. Signatures found by the FAA inspectors at the accident site indicate that the airplane impacted the ground at a 40 degree nose down attitude, while in a right turn. No anomalies were found with the airframe or engine that would have prevented normal operation. Toxicology findings were positive for Chlorpeniramine and Brompheniramine. 'Both of these drugs are antihistamines and were found at therapeutic levels, which may have caused impairment.' In addition, 'the underlying medical condition for which these drugs were being taken may have caused discomfort or a distraction in the cockpit.
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: 317 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 284 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 303 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 1997; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 905 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 77T Leander TX at 8:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.