Linden, NC, USA
N366KR
Byrd KR-2S
According to the pilot, upon his return to his home field, the wind favored using runway 22, but the sun was located in just the right spot to blind anyone flying in that direction. The pilot continued the approach although his visibility was severely restricted, and at about 100 feet from the runway, the left wing collided with a tree top and spun the aircraft to the ground. The pilot was not injured, but the aircraft was destroyed.
On December 1, 2001, at about 1705 eastern standard time, an experimental Byrd KR-2S, N366KR, registered and operated by a private individual as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed while on final approach for landing in the vicinity of Linden, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was destroyed and the private-rated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight departed Raleigh-Durham about 20 minutes before the accident. According to the pilot, while on final approach to runway 22, the sun's rays hit his canopy at just the right angle to blind his vision. At about 100 feet before the runway, the left wing tip collided with a tree top and spun the aircraft to the terrain. The airplane collided with the terrain in a vertical, nose down attitude, resulting in the fuselage breaking up at about the instrument panel and the wing to separate. According to an FAA inspector, the sun's obscuring of the pilot's vision prevented him from sensing that the aircraft was drifting left of runway centerline as he approached the threshold of runway 22. The left wing struck a tree, causing the aircraft to impact the terrain.
The pilot's failure to correct a condition where visual contact with the terrain was lost due to sunshine glare, resulting in collision with a tree during final approach for landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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