Amateur-built KR-2 accident near Tonopah, Arizona, March 24, 2000
On March 24, 2000 at about 6:16 pm local time, a amateur-built KR-2, registered N73BP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tonopah, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The fuel control metering unit becoming disengaged and the inadvertent use of the fuel supply during flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 24, 2000 · about 6:16 pm local time
- Place
- Tonopah, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KR-2
- Registration
- N73BP · registry record
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a forced landing in the median of an interstate highway, the airplane collided with trees. According to the pilot, past the halfway portion of his flight, he noticed the fuel gauge was reading too low. He decided to land at the next closest airport to troubleshoot the problem. Before he could reach the airport, the engine lost power. The pilot reported that the POSA fuel-metering device had a main fuel flow that is metered by a needle with a flat milled area along the length of it. The needle slides in and out of a tube, which changes the area through which the fuel feeds. During the mid portion of the flight, the needle rotated slowly resulting in a rich mixture. This increased the fuel consumption rate until the fuel tank was emptied. The pilot stated he inspected the POSA the day after the accident and confirmed that the needle had rotated 90 degrees from the original setting to a position where the airflow was creating a siphon effect.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,894 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,611 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 12, 2000; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Revmaster VW CONVERSION (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KWHP Whiteman CA at 4:00 pm
- Destination: P19 Steller Airpark AZ
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:16 pm from PHX, 45 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.
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.