LAX96LA041

Factual narrative

On November 7, 1995, at 1454 hours Pacific standard time, a home-built Cooke KR-2, N57CC, experienced a loss of engine power during initial climb from the Watsonville Municipal Airport, Watsonville, California. Witnesses observed the airplane reverse course, turn toward the airport, and descend rapidly until colliding with terrain and an unoccupied structure. The aircraft was destroyed by a postimpact fire, and the pilot received fatal injuries. The flight originated in Watsonville at 1453 on the day of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. According to people who knew the pilot, the accident occurred during the aircraft's maiden test flight. A witness stated that she looked up as she heard the aircraft approaching her location. She thought the aircraft was having engine problems so she continued watching as the aircraft entered a steep right turn. As the aircraft leveled off, she heard the engine begin to make popping sounds. She then saw that the aircraft's wings were waiving up and down as the aircraft entered a second steep right turn. During this turn, the aircraft rapidly lost altitude and it collided with the ground. After impact the aircraft slid through a fence, nosed over onto its back, and then slid into her neighbor's barn. About 1 second later the barn and aircraft burst into flames. A second witness, who is a pilot, was standing on the airport ramp prior to the aircraft's takeoff. He said that he observed the pilot make a series of high speed taxi runs prior to departure. As the aircraft reached about 150 feet above ground level, he noticed that blue colored smoke was trailing from the aircraft, and its engine was making popping sounds. He concluded this was an indication that the engine must be losing power as he noted that the aircraft was no longer maintaining any perceptible rate of climb. He watched as the pilot initiated a 30-degree right turn in what he thought was an effort to return to the airport. After about 90 degrees of turn, he saw the aircraft roll out of the turn as its nose began oscillating up and down. The aircraft continued to oscillate, in a condition he described as an oscillation stall, as it began a steady descent. The aircraft remained in the descent, at an angle of 30 to 40 degrees, while still maintaining a somewhat level attitude. After the aircraft disappeared from view, he saw a large cloud of black smoke begin to rise in the same vicinity. He described the smoke as rising in a near vertical column at a distance of about 0.25 miles from the departure end of runway 20. A third witness reported that the engine rpm sounded unusually high, which caused him to further suspect that the engine was turning a propeller with an insufficient blade angle. After the aircraft lost power, he concluded that the pilot was attempting to turn back toward the airport. He said that this seemed inappropriate since, considering his relatively low altitude, there were already several level fields directly ahead of the aircraft. The third witness, who is also an FAA designated pilot examiner, observed the engine being run-up the day before the accident. He stated that the engine seemed to be overheating. He also saw engine oil being thrown from the engine compartment and puffs of light colored smoke coming from the engine's exhaust. He then noted that the cooling air to the engine compartment seemed restricted by the design of what he thought were rather small air inlets. Based on these conditions, he stated that he would not have flown the aircraft until the engine had been inspected since he thought he was seeing evidence of an impending engine malfunction. Subsequently, the pilot-builder asked him if he was willing to conduct the initial test flight but he declined the offer. He further advised the owner to have the engine inspected before he or anyone else attempted to fly the aircraft. The pilot-builder acknowledged the suggestion. An FAA inspector completed the aircraft initial acceptance inspection on October 18, 1994. Based on that inspection, an annual inspection would have been due on October 31, 1995. According to the San Jose FSDO, no aircraft maintenance logbooks were located after the accident; therefore, there is no means available to verify if an annual inspection had been performed. There is no evidence to suggest that the aircraft had flown prior to the day of the accident. No postaccident engine inspection or disassembly was performed after the accident. According to records provided by a local FBO, the pilot had accumulated about 150 hours of total flight time by the time he received his biennial flight review endorsement on July 24, 1995. This total includes about 15 hours that were accumulated during this flight review. There is no estimate of the amount of flight time, if any, the pilot might have logged since that date. The Santa Cruz County Coroner conducted an autopsy. The coroner also collected and submitted toxicological samples to the Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI), as well as to a commercial forensic laboratory for toxicological screening. The forensic laboratory reported negative findings for all specimens it received. Several witnesses observed the homebuilt airplane during takeoff on its maiden flight. One witness reported that after the airplane climbed about 150 feet, he noticed the engine was making a popping sound, and the airplane was trailing smoke. Reportedly, the airplane leveled off, and the pilot initiated a 30-degree right turn toward the airport. Subsequently, the airplane appeared to stall. It descended in a 30 to 40 degree angle, impacted the ground, slid into an unoccupied barn, and burned. During an engine test run on the previous day, the pilot-builder was advised that his engine appeared to be overheating. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12