Amateur-built KR-2 accident near Watsonville, California, June 27, 1987
On June 27, 1987 at about 3:55 pm local time, a amateur-built KR-2, registered N75JL, was destroyed in an accident near Watsonville, California (Watsonville airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- June 27, 1987 · about 3:55 pm local time
- Place
- Watsonville, California · Watsonville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KR-2
- Registration
- N75JL · no longer on the register · serial 6640
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKE-OFF ON RUNWAY 19, THE ENGINE BEGAN 'SPUTTERING' AND LOSING POWER. THE PILOT TRIED ADJUSTING MIXTURE AND THROTTLE CONTROLS. THE ENGINE CONTINUED 'SPUTTERING' AND LOSING POWER AND THE PILOT INITIATED AN EMERGENCY DESCENT. HAVING GAINED NO MORE THAN 200' AGL, AND DUE TO TERRAIN FACTORS THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO DESCEND OVER A LINE OF TREES AND LAND IN A FIELD. THE PILOT COULD NOT MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO CLEAR THE TREES AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. THE PILOT DISASSEMBLED THE ENGINE AND FOUND NO BROKEN PARTS. HOWEVER, HE NOTED AN UNIDENTIFIED WHITE CHALKY SUBSTANCE IN AND AROUND THE 'LEFT' TWO CYLINDERS. THE LOSS OF POWER WAS NOT DETERMINED.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,200 hours in all; 1,695 as pilot in command; 505 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Volkswagen 2100 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WVI Watsonville CA at 3:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 4,500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.