Rivers William J KR-2 accident near Wytheville, VA
On October 6, 2011, a Rivers William J KR-2 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Wytheville, VA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 6, 2011
- Place
- Wytheville, VA
- Aircraft
- Rivers William J KR-2 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 36.895°N, 81.350°W
- NTSB ID
- 20111006X50957
Official records · ERA12LA011
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 6, 2011, about 1310 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur built (E-AB) Rivers KR-2, N7026G, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain, following a loss of control during initial climb, near Mountain Empire Airport (MKJ), Wytheville, Virginia. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to witnesses, the pilot had recently purchased the airplane but had never flown it or another airplane of the same type. The witnesses stated that on the day of the accident, during the morning, the pilot had conducted numerous high speed taxis on the runway to get familiar with the feel of the airplane. The witnesses also stated that the pilot would momentarily lift the airplane off of the runway and then land, again in an effort to become familiar with the airplane. That afternoon, the pilot again performed a number of high speed taxis before taking off from Runway 8. The airplane was next observed to climb to traffic pattern altitude and the engine could be heard to be "running satisfactorily". The airplane then made a "slow left turn" and joined the crosswind leg of the pattern. About 5 seconds later after completing the turn, the airplane appeared to roll to the right, pitch nose down, and enter a spin, completing four rotations before disappearing from sight behind a treeline. Moments later, smoke was observed. PERSONNEL INFORMATION According to Federal Aviation Admi
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the airplane make and model.
More accidents in VA
- Boeing 757-200, Sep 11, 2001
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Browse: Virginia
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
