Mechanical & Engine Failure · NTSB ERA09LA231
Howard William C KR-2 — Valdosta, GA
| Date | April 4, 2009 |
| Location | Valdosta, GA |
| Aircraft | Howard William C KR-2 (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Emergency descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 56 |
| Pilot total time | 252 hrs · Low time |
| Time in type | 10 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - C
What happened
The experimental amateur-built airplane was on its third flight, which was the first flight for the pilot/owner. About 20 minutes after departure, the pilot reported to air traffic control (ATC) that he had smoke in the cockpit and was approximately 9 miles from the airport. Subsequently, the pilot notified ATC that he had a fire in the cockpit. No further communications were received from the pilot and the airplane descended into trees. The airplane structure, which was comprised of wood and foam/fiberglass, exhibited extensive fire damage and was consumed by both in-flight and postimpact fire. The two previous flights were conducted by another pilot, who reported after the second flight there had been a blue staining around the fuel valve for the 15-gallon header tank. The accident pilot had installed a cigarette lighter in the airplane about 1 week prior to the accident; however, it could not be determined where the lighter was installed or if the leaking fuel valve was repaired. Due to the extensive fire damage, the fire's ignition source was not located.