Amateur-built KR-2 accident near Tehachapi, California, August 14, 2012
On August 14, 2012 at about 11:05 pm local time, a amateur-built KR-2, registered N37686, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Tehachapi, California (Tehachapi Municipal Airport). 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 pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during the approach to the airport.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 2012 · about 11:05 pm local time
- Place
- Tehachapi, California · Tehachapi Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built KR-2
- Registration
- N37686 · no longer on the register · serial J/E-727779
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he had recently completed extensive work on the engine, and the purpose of the flight was to build time. After departure, he maneuvered in the area of the airport for about 50 minutes and then began a descent to the airport; he later reported that this was his last memory of the flight, and he is unable to recall detailed events surrounding the timeframe of the accident. A witness reported that he observed the airplane in a descending left turn near the airport and that the engine appeared to be sputtering. The airplane continued the descent until it impacted terrain. Before the flight, the pilot affixed a video camera to the leading edge of the airplane's horizontal stabilizer. The camera was recovered from the wreckage and the captured video showed, in part, the airplane in a descent toward the airport. As the airplane approached the runway, it entered a left banked turn. The banked turn and descent increased and the airplane subsequently impacted terrain in a left-wing-down, nose-low attitude. The video further showed that the airplane's engine appeared to be operational during the entire flight with no anomalies noted. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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 defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
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 › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 355 hours in all; 149 in this make and model; 115 in the last 90 days; 292 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 22, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 388 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 12, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Revmaster 2100D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TSP Tehachapi CA at 10:35 pm
- Destination: TSP Tehachapi CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 10 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from TSP, 1 miles away
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.